Stress Me Out
by Sombereyes
Summary: Life – the one word that was both a blessing and a curse. There no getting out of it, no way to get around it, and certainly no way to avoid the facts of it. Since God seemed to have a twisted sense of humor, they might as well live it up. (A successor to Kissing Smoke, Violet Haze, and Alabaster Promises) Romance/Angst/Friendship and everything that is life.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Crass language, grungy writing, a little bit of everything including the kitchen sink, and a lot of fun to write. A sort of spiritual successor to the stories in the following order:

Kissing Smoke  
Violet Haze  
Alabaster Promise

You do not have to have read them to understand this, as this multiple chapter fiction will flesh the three weeks and beyond into more detail. Other characters are flung into the mix too. Thank you to my friend Kyle, who just moved back to Nakano to live in his family home, and sent me detailed concept pictures of his home and recreational life.

 **Stress Me Out  
Chapter 1  
Week 1, Sunday **  
(Location: A little home a short walk away from Nakano Station)

Life – the one word that was both a blessing and a curse.

There no getting out of it, no way to get around it, and certainly no way to avoid the facts of it. Since God seemed to have a twisted sense of humor, they might as well live it up. That's certainly what was going on in the cramped three bedroom home on the outskirts of Nakano. It was the most densely populated neighborhood in Tokyo, but it was a relaxed place in spite of that.

Well, relaxed for the greater Tokyo area, at any rate. As the residents always seemed to say; once you live in Nakano, you stay in Nakano.

Nao rolled over, with a groan. The sound of incredibly loud music blasted through the all too thin walls. The base boomed into her bedroom from the bathroom next door. It was too early for alternative rock at five in the morning, especially when there was some sort of harmonica mixed into it.

By the sound of it, it had to be Natsuki.

"The fuck, asshole!" The sound only got louder, and Nao knew she was going to be ignored. "Another really shitty start, to another really shitty day."

Flipping her sheet clear off the bed, she plucked a smoke, and flipped her hair out of her eyes, grumbling the entire time. Lighting up and grabbing a pair of panties that were hanging out of her drawer, she didn't bother to cover her top. She was too tired.

Half asleep, she had to fight with her broken door handle before meandering down the hallway smacking on the door across the hall. "Mai, food."

"Not now." Mai called sleepily, her voice muffled from the door. "Make it yourself."

"Like hell." Nao growled, smacking on the door louder until muffled cursing reached her ears, and a disheveled Mai opened the door.

Tired and pissed off violet eyes met equally annoyed forest green. Mai just stood there, clad in some sunny yellow pajamas before finding her voice. "What bug crawled up your butt and died this time?"

"Do you not hear the shit coming out of the bathroom?" Nao ranted, pointing down the short hallway. "The mutt's blasting god only knows what, and it's the ass crack of dawn."

Mai rolled her eyes, opening her bedroom door, dragging Nao in with her and shutting the door with a slam. "I am not cooking breakfast at five in the morning, either go to sleep, or leave me alone."

"You reek of booze…" Nao smirked dirtily. "Hey, is that whiskey?"

Mai crawled back into her nice warm bed, sending Nao a glare. If looks could kill, Nao would have been dead ten times over. "Sleep now, details later."

Frankly, it was whiskey… and a lot of it.

Nao, not one to turn down an offer for being lazy crawled into the other side of Mai's bed. Bunching up the blankets between them, she put out the cigarette and made herself comfortable. Exhaling the last of her smoke, watching as it dissipated into the air, she flicked her eyes over to Mai. The woman was already asleep again. "Must be a hell of a hangover." Nao laughed to herself.

Hours passed before Mai and Nao woke up. It was even longer until either one of them had the decency to greet the world.

Natsuki was in a mood to relax and waste the day away since she worked nights. She no sooner walked into the living area with a fried egg sandwich to settle in, that she noticed the expressions of her housemates. They both looked half dead, barely awake, though for one of them, that look was natural. For the other, it was a bit of a rarity. Though, Natsuki had to admit it was becoming more common as of recently.

Sticking a potato chip into her mouth, she gave the women a smirk. "What's with you two?"

Both women were gathered around a coffee table that was half busted, one set of bare feet using it as a foot rest. The house was not only in a state of disrepair, but disarray as well.

"Medicating, but screw that…" Nao muttered with a pipe hanging out of her mouth. Drawing in deeply as the lighter threatened to burn her thumb, she eyed Natsuki. "What gives with the five am shower? Was that really necessary?"

Natsuki rolled her eyes. "Some drunk guy puked on me in the subway."

"You're kidding…" Mai said from behind her book. "Talk about a bad day..."

"Yeah, mutt..." Nao agreed. "Sick joke."

Natsuki sent her a glare. "Do I look like I'm joking?"

Nao lifted her hands in mock surrender. "Peace and love, mutt, peace and love." The midmorning was a slow one. Dressed white tank top and a pair of ripped jean shorts, she forwent modesty at all cost as she took another hit of her pipe.

"Yeah, yeah." Natsuki growled lowly, she wasn't even focused on Nao anymore. Instead, she was on the hunt for something. "I'll peace your love..."

"The hell's wrong with your now ass, mutt?" Nao asked as Natsuki bent down to check under the television stand for something.

The mutt in question, Natsuki, was half American, half Japanese - hence the completely derogatory nickname.

"I'm looking for the remote, stupid." Long dark hair, pretty green eyes, and a completely obsessive about her underwear, it was no surprise that she chose a pair of tight hip huggers that rode low on her, sporting black lace in a way that even had Nao looking, albeit disgustedly. "Give it to me, butt-lick."

"Fine and dandy," Nao shrugged, as she pulled the remote from the sofa cushions. "Doesn't explain the floss up your crack."

"Never mind my butt." Natsuki growled, pulling the pipe away from her friend, flinging it into the table. Setting down her breakfast and settling in for the day herself, she grabbed the television remote that Nao had been sitting on. "Get off yours and do the dishes. Over half of them are yours."

"I'm chill, thanks." Nao said as she leaned forward, grabbing a cigarette instead. Lighting it she eyed her other friend, who was busy doing her nails. "So, Mai, you didn't come home last night. This morning you were hung over. Details."

Mai was the well-endowed woman of the three, but usually covered herself up the mot as a result. She looked up from her place and put down the trashy romance she was fingering through while she waited for her toenails to dry. Violet eyes flicked no Forest green, then to newly interested emerald. "What's there to tell? Clearly I went out drinking last night."

"Damn it Mai!" Nao ranted with renewed frustration. "Details!"

"You asked for it. I was puttering around on the Broadway after work, and met up with the girls to go bar hopping. Somewhere between then and home, I met this complete fish out of water." Mai gushed with a grin as she reached for her light pink polish to give her toes another coat. "We did a few shots, and it went from there."

"By a fish out of water, you mean…" Natsuki trailed off, now completely ignoring the news broadcast.

"Kyoto native, no doubt." Mai said without looking up from her task, her voice simply contented as could be. "Not from around here, too pretty. Exotic, crimson eyes - the works!"

Grabbing a hand full of chips from Natsuki's plate, Nao also began to use the table as a footrest. "Clearly, that woman knew how to sling 'em back. So you two drank together, that can't just be it."

Mai shook her head. "We made-out on the dancefloor, she followed me outside, and then we crawled into the back of her car. The rest as they say, is history."

"Wait a sec, she had a car?" Nao asked with her eyes wide and a newly formed grin playing on her lips. The troublesome look was never a good sigh. "And you screwed her…Sounds like jackpot. Did she pay you?"

"You know, you don't have to be rich to own a car…" Natsuki murmured agitatedly from her place.

"I'm not into that. I wasn't looking to get paid." Mai said capping the polish and picking her book back up. "I was bored, she was a good time. That's all."

"No way, that's not all…" Natsuki blinked, almost confused. "You don't do one night stands…"

"She has my number." Mai shrugged from behind her paperback. "Ball's in her court, and I promise you, she'll play."

…  
(Maruyama, Nakano-ku, Tokyo: Shizuru's residence)

One single suitcase packed with only the things she really needed. Other than that, the private room was barren of any personal effects. The bed pushed against the wall, had a light blue and white comforter. The desk was small, made of light colored wood, and currently remained empty aside from the black lamp. No pictures on the cream colored walls, no television either. Only a radio. The drawers were built into the walls, and the closets were small.

It was like a jail, a new kind of one than the hell she had been stuck in before...this jail had a key, and that key was hers.

It was so small, void of warmth, but that was okay. It was a step up, an escape, and she was free now. To do what she wished, to be with who she wanted, and to answer to her own mind. For once in her life, she was totally and completely free.

Knowing that was a heavier burden than she thought it would be.

She'd downed one drink after another the night before, and even though her head pounded in agony, she was numb to even that. She didn't feel like eating, and the crumpled paper on the desk sat glaring at her, just like her wedding band did. It was an empty feeling.

He didn't love her, and frankly, she didn't love him. That silver piece of metal was a lie, just like his perfect smile, and their happy home life. A lie she'd carefully constructed ever since she could recall.

When was the last time she actually enjoyed his company? – High School?  
When was the last time he really touched her? – A few months after their wedding, give or take? It wasn't within the past year or so.  
When was the last time she actually _wanted_ him to do that? – Not after the first time. That, she was sure of.  
Why hadn't she ended things sooner? - She wasn't sure, but that paper with a scribbled number…that meant something.

In the haze of her mind, she remembered that kiss, the way the gentle teeth nipped at her bottom lip, a purely possessive action when Shizuru came to think of it. Everything that woman did the night before, every kiss, every caress, and every touch. Something about all of it made Shizuru burn with a breathless heat. One that, if she were honest, she could scarcely recall desiring from her now ex-husband.

And he was indeed her ex-husband now, the paperwork had gone through.

She wasn't going to look back.

Truth be told, she never did want to marry him, but, she was good little Catholic woman, and did as her parents wanted. What had that taken her too? A lackluster job, a broken marriage, no family, and hardly any friends. She only had herself to blame, giving into the pressure as she had. It was delusional to think she could get away with a happy future with the way her mind had been made up for her. For the entirety of her life, she'd listened to others, and defiantly, she had cut ties with those venomous people.

It left her alone though, and she craved warmth.

Her cellphone rang four times before going to voicemail. Seeing his name, she deleted it without even listening to his words. He called too many times, the persistence of that bastard knew no bounds. She no sooner put her phone down that he sent a text instead. She deleted that too.

Good riddance…

It was time to get on with her new life, and it was new entirely. Every bit of it, an adventure in complete irrationality.

She had never lived in a share-house before. Even though she knew it was a fairly popular thing to do, especially for single folks. The nearest thing she had ever experienced to it was her dormitory. She'd lived away from home since middle school and high school. This, Shizuru decided upon moving in, wasn't too different.

The ground floor had six private rooms, the middle story had ten, and the top had nine: twenty-five tenets in all. The private rooms were small, and all of the main living areas were shared, hence the name. It wasn't exactly what she was used to, but it was cheap, and it was all she really needed.

A new life started with a new home, and a new job, both of which she now had. Now though, she really could use a new friend. That paper sat glaring in her direction, almost begging her to consider it. She dialed that number, trying to remember that woman's name.

Mari - No that wasn't it.  
May – That didn't sound right.  
Mai - That was it.

Shizuru was sure of it. That was her name, it just had to be.

One ring, she took a breath.  
Two rings, She licked her lips and steadied herself.  
Three rings, she considered hanging up.  
Four rings, there was no turning back.

"…Hello?"

Shizuru nipped on her lower lip. "Yes, hello. I'm Shizuru Fujino, we met last night?"

"I remember…" There was something too playfully smug about that voice. "I take it that you had a good time?"

 _"_ _A very, very, good time…"_ Shizuru thought to herself, though she would never dare let that slip out of her mouth. "Let's just say, you left an impression on me and leave it at that, shall we?"

"Whatever you say, Shizuru." That voice… Far too smug indeed… Too flighty, too playful… Too easy to get trapped into it. "So, were you wanting to hook up, cause if so, I work this afternoon. It would have to be late-night."

"Actually…" Shizuru took a breath, boy this was getting awkward. "I'm new to the area. I just moved here last week, and I still don't know my way around. I was hoping you might want to show me around, help me to get acclimated."

"We could do that, say – tomorrow? I'd offer to do it today, but even if I did, I'd have to bail out in a little less than an hour. Tomorrow I have off, so we can waste the day away, if it comes to that."

"That sounds wonderful." Shizuru admitted, almost put at ease by the simplicity of Mai's words.

"Where do you live? I'll come pick you up, if you want." Shizuru could hear the rustling around that indicated that Mai was reaching around for something. Likely, some paper and a writing utensil of some sort.

"Maruyama, the share house. I'm on the second floor." Shizuru said slowly, listening to Mai as she jotted it down. "Do you know where that is?"

"Yeah, I've got a friend that lives there." She said without missing a beat. "You're about ten minutes from me. I'll be there to pick you up at noon."

…  
(A teahouse in Kyoto)

It was always important to observe one's place, and economically speaking, the upheaval of women in the workplace neither made sense to the eldest Fujino, nor did it appeal to her nature. A woman was born and raised for the home. To see to her husband, and raise her children. There was a long standing pride in that, and she would not let it be said that tending the home was an easy task.

In fact, if the aging woman had anything to say of it, she would say that mothering a child and seeing to her husband was more than a full time job. It was also, in her prestigious opinion, a noble one.

It was unfortunate that her daughter, Shizuru, didn't see things that way.

It was such a misfortune, such a sad one, truly. The eldest Fujino simply could not understand, try as she might. She had trouble even comprehending the nature of the divorce that had cast a rather dark cloud over the family name. Even the most unhappy of wives would not, or at least should not, divorce her husband.

"Will she not answer your call?" She asked to the young man across from her, whom she highly regarded.

"No answer – I can't say that I'm surprised though." A white haired man said as he gently set his phone on the table beside him. "We didn't part on the best of terms."

"I can't believe you sighed that horrid paperwork." An older woman sighed as she closed her eyes with resignation. "I can't imagine why my daughter would act with such shortsightedness, but as her husband, Nagi, I expected better of you."

He smiled his perfect smile, the devilishness of his nature concealed by his perfectly white teeth. He was a short man, shrewd, but wealthy. "Ex-husband." He corrected as he lifted his tea to his lips. "She reclaimed your last name during the divorce."

Brown eyes lifted to him, a deep frown tugging her lips downwards. She gave him a cross look. "You love her, don't you…"

He nodded. "Shizuru is a fine woman, I've said so myself. It was why I asked for her hand in marriage."

"And why she married you." The woman said to him softly.

"Shizuru is merely acting out, she'll come back to me." Nagi said, conversationally, looking his best. "She doesn't have what it takes to be defiant for long. When she comes back, I'll gladly accept her with open arms." There was a hint of his usual cockiness in his words, but, Shizuru's mother didn't seem bothered by it. Instead, she let her eyes gentle, and she nodded.

"You are far too good for my whimsical daughter." She said to him as she sipped her tea. "I'll trust you to take care of her then, just as you have always done, Nagi Homura."


	2. Chapter 2

**Stress Me Out  
Chapter 2  
Week 1: A Monday  
**(Mai, Natsuki, and Nao's home)

Nothing could ever go right on a Monday morning. It seemed like the start of each new week came complete with a new string of problems to go with it. Usually they were nothing big, and Mai could usually ignore them. Even while her housemates ranted for hours on end, she was usually in high spirits. Today, unfortunately, a rather large problem reared its ugly head, and along with it, Natsuki's really bad tempter.

And what a temper it was, too. "God-damn, piece of crap!"

"You can fuss with it all you want Natsuki." Mai sighed with a shake of her head. "We need a new dish washer, plain and simple."

"Tits McGee is right for once, mutt." Nao said from her place, sitting on the counter. "There is no fixing that thing, it's over what? Like twenty years old…"

"Give or take…" Mai nodded. "This house belonged to my grandparents, so everything was already old when Natsuki and I moved in."

"Hey, it was fine for the two years that we were here on our own. Then you moved in, Nao, and you bust everything in your path." Natsuki growled, giving Nao a murderous look.

"Typhoon Nao strikes again." Mai decided to start filling the sink with water.

"Hey, don't look at me." Nao said as she nursed her beer. "It's as old as sin."

"This is taking too long." Mai concluded, putting a comforting hand on Natsuki's shoulder. "Let's just call a repairman later."

"Like we can afford that…" Natsuki shook her head. "Let me keep trying."

"Or, we can just get a new one and spring for the installation fee." Nao said as she glanced to the glass jar they'd dubbed an emergency fund. It probably had enough in it, maybe…if they were really lucky. "This one was old to start with. New build, sounds good to me."

"That's why you rinse the dishes first, jack-off." Natsuki shouted at her.

"Why do you always think it's me, shit-for-brains?" Nao answered back, fire in her eyes.

Before long, both women were out for blood, barking at each other at the top of their lungs. It was their usual style of bickering, so Mai just ignored it. Committing herself to the ruckus with a long lasting sigh.

"Because I sure didn't put my cheese filled plate into that thing." – Natsuki  
"I don't eat cheese." – Nao  
"On pizza you do." – Natsuki  
"We don't have any." – Nao  
"You did the dishes yesterday." – Natsuki

Now irate beyond belief, Nao slammed her beer bottle down, the contents sloshing all over the counter and the floor. Moments later, a wrench hit the linoleum with a clatter. Both of them were truly fired up. Mai didn't have to look behind her to know that they were snarling and chomping at the bit. Pushed too far, it would be punches that were thrown next in their battle.

"You did 'em Saturday, could've been you." – Nao  
"The dishwasher worked yesterday." – Natsuki  
"Then maybe a magic pixie shat on it, mutt, who the fuck knows!" – Nao  
"First your door, then the sitting room window, and now this! You break everything!" – Natsuki

The loud banging of a wooden spoon against a metal pan drew their attention. "It doesn't matter who did it." Mai said loudly enough to command their attention long after the pan had quieted. As she put the dirty dishes in the sink she continued her own tirade sternly. "Next person that opens their mouths is getting their head dunked in the dirty dish water, so you better both just shut up."

Natsuki rolled her eyes, but stormed off down the hall.

"Oh, go fuck a pan." Nao barked as Mai reeled on her.

"Just because I'm pansexual doesn't mean I'm into that, but I'll tell you what I'll do." Mai was slow and deliberate as she turned around. "I'll do you with the spoon instead if you don't get the hell out of my kitchen." Mai said with an upraised eyebrow, not entirely joking either by the looks of it. "Then, I'll dunk your head in the dishwater. So go. Shoo."

Mai did the dishes, uncluttered the front room, and hit the shower before scouring her closet for something to wear. Undecided, she consulted Natsuki, who was reading a magazine in her room next door. "What do you think, skirt, or jeans?"

Emerald eyes lifted from the page in front of her. "That depends, what for?"

Mai smirked. "Date."

"Uh, I don't know." Natsuki muttered with a soft scowl. "Jeans I guess, if you're going out and about."

"Thought so, can I bum some of your leave-in conditioner?"

"On the vanity." Natsuki said, not moving from her spot. "You and Reito going to terrorize the karaoke bar again?"

"Shizuru, actually, and no bar tonight." Then with a smug glance to the side, she laughed. "What? I told you she'd call."

Natsuki, stunned, continued to give Mai a burning look. "Wait, the chick from the other night? Are you really into her or something? I mean, you don't usually pick up random girls, or give them your number."

Mai licked her lips. "I did it on a whim. It's hard to say why really. Anyway, she's new to the area, just moved into the share-house three blocks over. The same one boys crash at. I told her that I'd show her around, help her get acclimated."

"That's not what I'm asking." Natsuki pressed. "You know it."

Mai turned to Natsuki, noticing the way that emerald glared into her. Given their past, it was hard not to take things a little personally. She walked over to the side of the bed and sat down. She knew, on some level at least, that this would be a problem. "You're about to break rule one, Natsuki. You're jealous."

"I'm worried." Natsuki groused. "I mean, think about it. What other women have you been with, seriously?"

"I've been with Nao once or twice." Mai said honestly.

"Yeah, like a year ago." Natsuki sighed with a shake of her head. "And you and her, you two never got serious."

"Neither did you and I, Natsuki, we've always done better with the friends with benefits thing." Mai shot back with a laugh as laid back on one of Natsuki's pillows. "Okay, so if you're not jealous, what's with the look?"

Natsuki shrugged, also laying back and looking at her ceiling. "It's not that big a deal as long as you say it isn't. I was just thinking, you're not exactly a master of the hard crush, hard crash thing. That's Nao's department, not yours."

"Okay, you can stop trying to protect me now." Mai said softly, though her tone was nothing but gentle and understanding. "Honestly though, it isn't going anywhere like that any time soon. She is fun to be with though."

"Oh?" Natsuki asked as she turned to lean into Mai ever so slightly. "Why is that?"

"Shizuru's intense." Mai answered a bit shyly. "Really intense, and I've never met anyone quite like her before."

"Just be careful." Natsuki shrugged. "Your sex life is your thing, just don't get hurt."

Mai looked into those deep emerald pools that searched her for something. Was it a promise? Mai wasn't sure. "you're a good friend, Natsuki." She said while taking Natsuki's face in her hands, she leaned in and kissed her atop the forehead. "I will be careful, I always am." Checking the clock, Mai grinned again. "I've got to get ready. Don't kill Nao while I'm gone."

"I won't." Natsuki said, waving Mai off. "I'd have too hard a time hiding her body."

…  
(Maruyama)

The grounds outside the share-house were small, hardly any yard at all. Yet beside the front door there was a short bench for two. Shizuru sat there, hands in her lap as she waited for Mai. It was too early for the carrot-top to show up if Shizuru's watch had anything to say about it. She wore a simple pair of white boot cut jeans, black boots with a small heal, a simple red V-neck shirt, and an open black vest over the top. It matched her small black handbag.

Her hair, as usual, was left free to do as it wished in the breezeless day.

There wasn't much to do but wait. To look at the long path, and count down the moments until Mai to turned the corner. Idly, Shizuru wondered if she was a bit over dressed, but then she recalled that her family would think quite the opposite. These clothes were much too casual, they'd say. Her ex-husband included. That's why she decided to wear them, because they would not approve. It wasn't proper attire for a lady of the house, and they'd likely rant and rave.

Yet, now she was her own master of fate. Maybe, with that excuse, this was enough. Not too much. Never too little. Just enough.

There was no time to consider the situation any further.

"Hey."

Shizuru heard Mai's voice before she saw the woman walking towards her casually. She might as well have owned that street. Breathtaking and beautiful. Shizuru smiled brightly, as Mai seemed to do the same. It was infectious. "It's nice to finally see you again."

"Yeah." Dark gray jeans, pair of black and pink athletics, two spaghetti strap tank tops, blue over white. A jacket hooked on two of her fingers as she draped it over her back. "It really is cool that you live close by. It makes hanging out a lot easier." She ran a hand over her short carrot colored hair. It brushed across her neck, part of it falling behind her ear. "So you moved into this frat pit, huh?"

"A short while ago." Shizuru admitted with a tiny nod, her thumb toying along the thin strap of her purse. "To be honest, I haven't taken the time to get to know most of my housemates. I've been avoiding them."

"They're not too bad." Mai said with a shrug as she inclined her head to indicate down the street. They started walking at a casual pace. "I've got a few friends who live there. I can tell you though, they all get a bit loud at night. It's a young crowd, university students, or fresh out."

"Good to know, I'll keep that in mind." Shizuru nodded, but said nothing to that as they reached a long strip of smaller streets. Most of them led to more houses, but a long narrow one led into a strip of shops. "I've been here before. I usually pick up the things I need from that corner store."

"If you don't mind making the walk, there's a larger place down the way, and some decent food stalls there too. Really, you can't go wrong with things in this area." Mai made a turn somewhere along the way, leading into another narrow strip. A laundromat, a small restaurant, and a few more stores lined the way. They stopped at one of the smaller café's in the area. Mai opened the door. "After you."

Thanking her, they made their way to a small booth, where they took a seat. "Do you come here often?"

"It's pretty nearby, so yeah, I guess I do." Mai shrugged as they ordered. Mai requested a cappuccino, Shizuru ordered a black tea. "You're about fifteen from the Broadway, and that puts you about thirteen or fourteen from the Nakano Station. Do you drive everywhere, or do you mostly use the tram?"

"Tram." Shizuru said without missing a beat. "It's far too expensive to drive everywhere I choose to go. I normally leave the car at the port by the station."

Mai nodded, her hands tenting atop the table. "I thought so." She said with a laugh. "Cheaper to go by tram whenever you can. There are some good bike paths in the area too. You could buy one if you wanted. You don't strike me as the type to do a lot of long distance travel."

"I really don't, do I?" Shizuru said, but in truth, that was a lie. "I suppose maybe it doesn't seem like it, but I've only just settled. For the past year and a half, I was moving from place to place."

"A wanderer, huh?" Mai wrapped her hands around her small cup, lifting it to her lips, tasting the gentle froth at the top.

"Family obligation, I'm afraid." Shizuru said simply, her voice void of the icy anger she felt at that. "You seem rather free spirited though, if you don't mind me saying so. You could probably pick up and go wherever you wanted. You have such an air about you, Mai."

"I've always wanted to do that, never got around to it. Probably never will, either, but that's fine with me all the same." Then, tapping her fingers into the table, an afterthought came to mind. "As we say around here; those who live in Nakano stay in Nakano."

"Well then…" Shizuru began slowly, almost a tad uncertain. "Hopefully I can acclimate well. If the saying applies to anyone it should apply to me too, right?"

"Don't worry." Mai said as she pulled out her phone to look up a map. "I'll help you get sorted out. Besides, you live so close, it's not like it'll be a hindrance to do our shopping and things together. You'll get used to it. Only tip I can really give you is try to avoid most of Nakano's Broadway. That is, unless you're really into anime, games and the like. It's an otaku hotspot. They've got a good karaoke lounge, and some decent places to eat, so it's not all bad."

Together, they made a list of the places to visit. Retails stores, the pharmacy, the local community center, and other small places that the locals frequented. After they made the list, they visited those places. The whole occasion was strange, so unlike what Shizuru expected from the busty woman. She was kind, gentle, but she didn't come on strongly at all. The attraction as there, but it was under the surface.

Was it merely courtesy?

She recalled Mai's aversion to being touched that one night at the bar. Hesitancy, in their strangely tangled embrace. Mai had put a finger to her lips, stalled her, and told her simply, but gently 'no', that she didn't want to be touched in kind. Feeling as if that topic was far too fast, far too soon, Shizuru didn't ask.

It was well into the evening and a few shopping bags in hand before they made it back to Shizuru's room.

"Cozy." It was a simple word from Mai as she stood in the doorway. "You know, my friend Reito is on this floor too. He's always pretty busy, but if you happen to catch him, say hi. He's a laid back kind of guy. You'd get along well with him."

"There's only three men in this particular home that I've seen." Shizuru said as she offered Mai the only chair she had in her room; the one by the desk. "I've noticed them in passing, but I've never once thought to ask their names."

"They don't bite..." Mai laughed. "Well, I guess they might if you want them to."

"I wouldn't be interested in that, I fear." Shizuru returned with a small smile before it fell into something just a tad more stern and distant. "I've never been particularly close to men. I find them to be abrasive at best. Strange, I know, since I married one."

"Ah, that would be Tate and Takeda in a nutshell." Mai said knowingly, instead sitting at the edge of Shizuru's bed, beside her. "Reito's not like that though. He interns at some distribution company; sales of some sort. Tate, I went to school with him. He's hot tempered and he doesn't keep a full time job. If you ever need a handy man though, he's the one you talk to. As for Takeda…well…"

"What's wrong with Takeda?" Shizuru asked, seeing the hesitation in Mai's eyes. Conflicted violet glanced upward at the ceiling. "Is he trouble?" Shizuru asked, wondering if the question was too personal.

"Oh, no...Nothing like that." Mai said with a smirk. "He's kind of a pervert, but not in a bad way. I'm not really that close to him. He hangs out with Tate a lot, so, I know he's not a bad person to be around. It's just that, you could say there's a history there. I guess that's just what happens when you stay in the same place that you're born and raised, like we have."

"I wouldn't know anything about that." Shizuru admitted.

"You're from Kyoto, right?" Mai asked as she realized how impersonal the room seemed to be. "Long way from home."

"I've always been on the move." Shizuru pushed some fawn hair behind her shoulder, her voice growing soft. "I was born in Kyoto, and I lived there until about five. Then I was sent to live with a distant relative for a few years in Kumamoto. Later on, I went back to live in Kyoto where I attended middle and high school. I married right after that, and I was sent to live with my husband."

Mai eyed her with a question that Shizuru didn't want to answer, so she went on right beyond it. The less about her past she spoke of, the better. "We travelled all over for the few years we were married. Chiba, Iwaki, Akita, Kobe, just to name a few. After the divorce, I spent a short time in Yokohama with a friend before moving here."

Mai whistled long and low. "Sounds rough. Can't imagine that."

"It was less hectic than it sounds." Shizuru murmured, crimson meeting violet.

"I would hope so." Mai's fingers brushed over the comforter. Even that seemed like something so unlike Shizuru's personal tastes. Something allotted to her, instead of something she personally chose. "Why come here then, with no one to help you, or guide you?"

After a moment, Shizuru just smiled. "I actually moved here because I wanted something new, and fresh." She meant it too, and the shared look between them made sure that Mai understood that. "I really craved a new start, but, I'm used to drifting around. I'm hoping this time is the last time."

"Drifting around huh...not me." Mai looked off to the side, that one empty suitcase, it seemed so lonely. The whole room did. "I could never leave. I actually live with a few friends that I went to high school with. They're my world. In fact, they both mean a lot to me. I could never just abandon them. I guess, when you stay in one place like I did, change is scary."

"Scary?" Crimson eyes widened only slightly.

"Yeah," Mai said softly, "I try to avoid it…"

…  
(Mai, Natsuki, and Nao's home)

"Keep pacing mutt, she'll get home, when she gets home." Nao said from her place, laying across the entirety of the sofa as if she owned it.

It was late. Too late in Natsuki's option. She hadn't dared to text Mai, the carrot topped woman was a big girl after all, and she could take care of herself. Still, Natsuki's concern tugged at her as she kept walking a line from the door the other side of the hall. Then she turned and paced all the way back to the door again. One long, completely vicious cycle.

"This is so damn stupid." Natsuki sighed with a sake of her head.

"You're stupid," Nao quipped.

"Think Mai's going to tell Reito she found a new girl to hang around with?" Natsuki asked.

"Not like they're exclusive." Nao muttered with a tired expression. "I mean, we all need to get our kicks somehow, right? Doesn't matter to me what Mai takes, or where she takes it."

Pausing, Natsuki gave Nao a confused scowl. "You… Why… Just… Why?"

"Got bigger fish to fry, mutt." Nao shrugged, she lifted herself off the sofa, forest green cutting into emerald harshly. "You do too. Lay off Mai, and deal with the shit in front of your face. What are you going to do about Takeda? You know he's into you. Are you going to steady with him, or aren't you?"

"I really don't want to talk about that." Natsuki shot back, crossing her arms. "I could fling the same shit at you about Tate. Going to stop screwing around with him before he really gets hurt? Or are you going to woman up and get it done?"

"Dunno Natsuki." Nao huffed, crossing the threshold between them without missing a beat, tossing the taller woman against the wall, dragging her down to a lower level, and kissing her roughly. Hard and fast. "The fuck you going to do about this? Huh? You have that figured out yet?"

Natsuki rolled her eyes. "You're the aggressor here, ass. Why don't you figure it out?"

"Takes two to tango, mutt." Nao hissed.

"And three to really fuck, according to you…" Natsuki added, knowing that idiom well. It was the sordid tale of their lives after all. "For the record, I have never once led Takeda into believing I'm into him. I'd never sleep with him, because he's not my type." Nose-to-nose with Nao, she didn't back down an inch. "Unlike you, I don't suck someone off for the hell of it."

"You're a damn bitch, leave Yuuichi out of this." Nao smirked evilly as she let go of Natsuki's shirt. "Not my fault you've got baggage."

"Could say the same thing about you…" Natsuki murmured. "But I don't. We work because we don't try to figure things out. You, me, Mai…we've never had to sit down and really categorize anything. We all…live our own lives. It…works."

"Then, why the hell are you worried about it?" Nao asked, cutting the tension like a hot knife through butter.

"Because if Mai ever gets serious with someone, Nao, the dynamic breaks…" Natsuki murmured softly. "It would be over, and who knows where that would take her, or us."

The thought was terrifying, and Nao didn't want to think about it. "I hate you."

Natsuki turned the tables, kissing Nao roughly, her fingers tangling into blood red tresses. As they pulled away, lips bruised and puffy, Natsuki pulled her in again, ripping Nao's shirt by accident. Neither one of them cared. "You hate commitment, not me."


	3. Chapter 3

**Stress Me Out  
Chapter 3  
Week 1: A Tuesday  
**(In the back room of a department store)

Retail – some people were made for it. Others, not so much. Nao slashed another box open with a cutter, working quickly as she sorted the new merchandise to be put on the shelves. She worked in stock, and it was a good thing too, because she doubted she could deal with anyone outside of her subordinates.

Hell, even they pissed her off, sometimes.

With her headphones in, she was in her own little world. Nao was okay with that; just doing her job and letting the shift pass her by. That was how she liked it, to be left blissfully alone. She kept half an eye on the door, expecting some new girl today. Nao didn't like it, but she was in charge of training all newcomers to stock.

It was the middle of the afternoon before the woman showed up, a part-timer, no doubt.

Nao yanked her ear buds out of her ears when she noticed the new arrival. Fawn hair, crimson eyes, tall and beautiful. "You the new transfer?"

"Shizuru Fujino." She bowed deeply. "I'm looking for a…" she looked down to the sloppily written name on the paper work. "…a Miss Nao?"

"Just Nao. My first name, not last." The red head said as she clipped and pocketed the box cutter, and took off her safety gloves. "Don't get weird on me." She didn't bother to extend her hand as she shoved them in her jean pockets. She gave Shizuru a once over and laughed. "Skirt huh, your funeral then."

Shizuru looked down at herself, and then looked to Nao, who dressed in work boots, carpenter jeans, and an unflattering black polo shirt with the company logo. The neon yellow apron also wasn't winning any points for good looks. "I suppose I am improperly dressed, aren't I?"

Nao shrugged, grabbing a cigarette out of her back pocket. "That's why you filled out that crap." She made a motion for the papers, and pulled the one at the back. Walking to the back desk, she unlocked it, and grabbed a shirt and jeans in Shizuru's size. "Go to the locker room and change, I'll get you the boots and apron in your size." Nao explained, lighting up. "Then we can blow through all of that there, and that over there…" Nao said pointing to all of the unpacked boxes.

Shizuru did as she was told, coming back feeling very out of sorts as she tied her apron on. "There, now how do I look?"

"Like crap…" Nao muttered with a grin. "Means you're one of the team."

"So, where should I start?" Shizuru asked.

"Know what a GOT is?" Nao asked as she went back to cutting open boxes and sorting through all of the inventory.

"I'm afraid not. This is my first time working in the back room." Shizuru admitted a bit quietly. "I'm normally near the front as a cashier."

Nao sent her green eyed gaze to those of clearly confused crimson. That glazed over look was one she had seen many times before. "Don't they teach you anything? Alright then, new chick…start slow." She handed her a box cutter and gloves. "Slice those open, slide 'em to me. Get that done, then break down those…" Nao said pointing to the boxes in the corner. "Trash goes out every night at the end of shift, you leave it, you get written up. Three write ups, you get docked pay. Another three, you're fired."

"Yes ma'am."

"Cut the crap…" Nao muttered. "Just Nao."

Shizuru kept her eyes on the box cutter. It was a sharp blade, thin, dangerous. The gloves were rough feeling, and thick, it would be hard to cut herself so long as she had them on. She focused on doing exactly what Nao told her, though she was a bit shocked by the woman's conduct.

"Something wrong, scrub?" Nao gruffly asked.

"No." Shizuru said softly.

"Haul butt then, we're behind." Nao ordered. "Get a grove, don't break it, or you'll find out what concrete tastes like."

Shizuru nodded, trying her best. She gave Nao a sideways glance. "I was merely wondering, have you been doing this for very long?"

"Wouldn't be a manager otherwise." Nao shrugged. "That a problem?"

Crimson eyes lifted to Nao. "No at all, it was merely a passing curiosity…"

"Again with the bull…" Nao grumbled as she flipped through all of the various packaging, sorting merchandise from bubble wrap. "Been working here since I was a teen. Really sticks in the craw of scrubs like you, too. I bet you're the kind of person that lasts a year or two…finds a better job. Me? I don't need that crap, I'm happy where I am. The boss respects loyalty."

Shizuru nodded, there was nothing more she could say to that. She finished cutting the row of boxes. The next part she had been told to do was breakdown. As she began to rip open and fold down boxes, Nao gave her a sideways glance. Shizuru paused. "Yes?"

"Faster if you punch it in…" Nao emptied the one she had in hand and lifted it. "Do it like this, they're flimsy, and you'll be fine." She plowed through the bottom with her fist, folding the whole thing down in a matter of seconds. "Get those done. Then I'll show you how to price."

A knock came at the back door, and Nao cursed. "Just a sec, my buddy is here with lunch." She lifted the large metal delivery door, were Mai stood on the other side. "The hell were you an hour ago, Mai?"

"I was stuck at home with the repair man. I called and told Midori I'd be late." Mai smirked in apology as she came in and put the bags down. From across the storage room, she could see Shizuru fussing with the build-up of Nao's previous mess. "What is she doing?"

"Newbie..." Nao shrugged as she pulled out the beef burger and fries. " You know how scrubs are. They aren't worth shit."

"I'm going to go say hi while I'm here…" Mai said with grin.

Nao gave her a dumbfounded look. "What the hell for?"

"Just eat your lunch Nao." Mai said as she ignored her friend, brushing her off entirely. She made her way across the concrete floor and bent down to pick up a few of the boxes from the back. "Need a hand?"

Shizuru visibly jumped. "Mai?"

"Yours truly." Mai said with a smirk. "Nao's a mess every second. You're not her gopher, don't let her turn you into one."

"I'll keep that in mind." Shizuru said quietly as she noticed a set of keys on Mai's belt. They were not unlike Nao's own. "Do you work here too, or did you happen to pilfer the manager's keys?"

Lavender eyes fell to the storage keys, and then a blush crept onto her cheeks. "Oh these, they're mine. I'm covering for a part-timer. A while back, I used to work here, and I'm friends with the owner. Sometimes, though, they get a little shorthanded and I fill in. The extra spending money comes in handy."

"Mai get your tight ass over here and leave my scrub alone!" Nao bellowed.

Mai had her back to Nao, and took the time to slap her butt cheekily. "Kiss it, Nao."

"Bitch…" Nao grumbled.

"Technically, she's my scrub too since I'm on the clock." Mai shot back, sticking out her tongue, before turning back to Shizuru. "I apologize in advanced. She's a little abrasive, but once you get to know her, she's really easy to work for."

…  
(Mai, Natsuki, and Nao's home.)

It was nice to having a working dishwasher again, Mai decided as she loaded it up and clicked it on after her evening meal. The house was quiet. Nao was asleep, Natsuki was at work. With the solitude, Mai had easily lost track of the hours before she knew it. A knock came at the door, robust enough to be an acquaintance, and yet, gentle enough that she knew it wasn't Tate or Takeda.

"Door's open." She said absently, as she noticed the tall male outside.

At her invitation, he opened and stepped inside. "I brought coffee."

She sighed closing her book. It was already late, but Reito never did know the meaning of early to bed, early to rise. "Thanks." She said softly, moving over to offer him a place to sit. She took the offered drink. "Can't sleep again, I take it."

"Marry me." He said with a smirk, but he saw the woman shake her head as soon as he said it.

"For the last time, no." She smiled either way. "Insanity means to keep trying for something expecting a different outcome."

"Then perhaps I am fit to be tied, but, it was worth a try." Reito murmured as he sipped on his coffee. "One of these days, I keep thinking you'll make a fortuitous mistake and actually agree to it. A man can dream."

"Only if I was really drunk." Mai shrugged. "Then maybe, and even then it wouldn't hold up. You know that too. Now come on, marital vows were not the reason for you to show up at this time of night."

Of course he knew. It's what made them fairly good friends. "Work was murder to be honest. Sometimes I think you had the right idea getting out while you could, sales are murder."

Mai wasn't quite sure. "I was in retail." She said quietly. "You take on far more than I ever did. I'm amazed that you can keep yourself together. The hours are killer for you, I know that much at least."

The shipping of foods and goods from one place to another, while lucrative, was also a lot of work. Undertaking that kind of company wasn't a simple thing. Reito was being groomed for the role by his uncle, much to the young man's displeasure. Still, he valued his family, and the trade, so he hadn't turned down the offer. She'd be lying though, if she said she didn't worry about him.

"Paper pushing is really getting to you, isn't it?" She asked from behind her disposable cup.

"That's putting it mildly." He murmured after he loosened his tie, and unbuttoning the first two notches in his shirt. "My thoughts on the subject are things I would never say in the presence of a lady. Especially not one with whom I'm trying to curry favor."

"I'm a woman Reito." She said to him with a tiny smirk. "And might I remind you who I live with. What flies out of a person's mouth has nothing to do with gender."

"That is a point." He conceded as he did the same to his sleeves, rolling them up to behind his elbow. "Allow me to put it this way then. I keep telling myself that I won't put in more than twelve hour days. Then thirteen hours later I'm blaspheming the clock because I'm still behind. It's like it never ends, and needless to say, I didn't feel like going home to my empty room tonight."

"So you show up here instead. I understand. Well, keep it up, you'll retire young." Mai said to him brightly, but she could tell it fell on deaf ears. "It's better than living paycheck to paycheck, and you do like what you do…most of the time."

"Yes, well, family obligations aside, I'm considering against the company take-over." Reito mentioned as he set his cup on the slanted table. "I've been thinking, I don't need all that much to get by…less than you three do, at any rate. I don't have to work these insane hours."

"Reito…" Mai sighed licking her lips. "You're stressed out over nothing, and, you're lonely. You really do need to find a wife."

"I've found a wife…" He said, looking at her. "She refuses to say yes."

Mai rolled her eyes. "And I'll keep refusing to say yes until kingdom come. Contrary to popular belief, I don't need a man constantly in my life. I'm happy the way things are, honestly, and so are you." She turned to him then. "Besides, if I was your wife, you'd run fleeing from your own home even more than you do."

"Maybe your right…" He sighed with a shake of his head. "We weren't exactly harmonious when we dated."

With a shake of her head, she maneuvered behind him, and began to rub at his stiff shoulders. He was tense, depressed, and lonely…she understood lonely. They were close friends, with a history that she really appreciated as she grew older, but she did miss him on an intimate level. Reito was the first man that she had ever been with, and they had both been young and unbelievably stupid at the time.

His shoulders slumped as he began to relax, and ever so softly, a question fell from his lips. "Have Natsuki and Nao patched things up yet? After their drinking binge last week, I knew things between them were pretty bad."

That was a loaded question. "I honestly don't know, Reito. Those two…well, they don't talk about it. I think they're in denial." What that meant for her two friends though, Mai wasn't sure, and she sighed at great length. "I did a lot of experimenting when I was younger. Between you and Natsuki, I found myself…what I liked…what I didn't…what I wanted out of my future…Nao's still trying to find herself, but she's so guarded."

"And you aren't?" Reito bit out between a laugh and a hiss as she found a tender spot.

Mai nipped her tongue, she was guarded, and she wouldn't deny that. It was a deeply rooted problem. She took a breath. It was a hard thing to explain, and frankly, she didn't want to try. "We aren't having this discussion." She kissed him gently on his shoulder, and hugged him tightly. "I love you as a friend, Reito…really, I do…but that's where it stops. You have problems putting that separation up."

"I want more than that." His words were simple, but direct and clear.

"You want a nice well-mannered wife and a home maker, and I don't fit that bill." Mai told him softly. "I need more in my life. I want more too, need more, than to wait for my husband to come home and kiss me on the cheek, and then crack a beer. You're a good man, Reito Kanzaki, but you'll need a woman who challenges you in more ways than I could. Trust me. I'm just not it."

…  
(Maruyama)

Shizuru was sure that Nao was following her home, though the redhead said nothing as she walked along with hands in her pockets, listening to some sort of music that was loud enough to drown out the world around her. In fact, she seemed to be going at her own pace. It just so happened that her pace included raunchy singing and a six pack of cold beer.

Shizuru tried to ignore it, recalling what Mai said. Nao was a housemate, so she lived nearby for sure, but then, Shizuru turned down her own street where the share-house was, and Nao did the same.

"Panties in a twist?" Nao grumbled as she pulled her earphones out. "You keep giving me this pissy-ass look."

Shizuru shook her head. If she was indeed angry, Nao would most certainly be aware of it. "I was merely wondering if Mai asked you to escort me, since it's so late."

Nao laughed, the word 'shit' slipping in-between the air between them. "Listen, Mai walks these streets at night all the time. Can't take care of yourself, you have no reason to be working late shifts."

"I have mace in my purse." The fawn haired woman admitted. "I'm not entirely defenseless, I assure you."

"Not enough if you get in a scrap." Nao said, but then eyed her cautiously. No one would want to scrap with Shizuru, she was too prim, too perfect. It was just too off putting over all. "Ah, most they'd want out of you is that purse of yours. They'd never scrap with the likes of you."

"Who says I might not with them?" Shizuru asked Nao honestly. "I'm not a person to mess with, though I don't look it."

"Really…" Nao sighed, giving Shizuru a pointed look. "You've got to work on that back-talk of yours. No employee of mine is going to be strutting around with her underwear half-way up her ass. It's degrading."

Dropping the matter, a silent truce, Shizuru changed the subject. "So, if you aren't following me deliberately, what brings you to the share-house?"

Nao grinned dirtily. "Got a boy-toy that lives here."

"Oh…" Shizuru left it at that as she unlocked the front door. She let Nao come in behind her, instead of pressing the buzzer. There was a kitchen near the front and they both walked into it, two young men sitting around the table.

"Nao…" Among the two men, it was the blond who spoke. "You're late, thought you might be skirt chasing. Heard that was your thing."

"And miss poker night? Fuck you too, Tate." Nao cackled.

He pulled a wrapped condom out of his pocket and waved it. "One with your name on it."

"Later, and it had better be ribbed." Nao shot back, cracking open a beer and sliding it across the table. She saw Shizuru trying to sneak out of the room with a glass of water, and grinned darkly. If Mai liked this girl, then she was sure to be fun. "Hey! Scrub, where the hell do you think you're going. You earned yourself a drink, and besides, any friend of Mai is a friend of mine."

"You know Mai?" This time it was the dark haired man who spoke, nursing his newly acquired beer.

"More than know her, way more." No muttered knowingly as she saw a fawn eyebrow raise in shock.

"Excuse me?" Shizuru reeled, unsure what to think of that venomous tone.

The boys were equally shocked by this information. "Nao…I don't think this is a good idea."

"Oh, come on, don't give me that look. Mai was like a dog in heat all over this chick today. Made me want to puke." Nao said before sauntering up to her, lowering her voice to a near silent register. "Listen close, scrub. I know she fucked you, so I'm going to do you a courtesy of getting to know our little tribe." Nao said quietly enough that only Shizuru heard her. "Sit your ass down, have a real drink. It's time to piss away our earnings, or make some bank. Show me what you've got."

She turned to Takeda "Deal her in and get the tunes on. It's time to lose our heads up our asses."

"As if you haven't already done that…" Tate said as he cut the cards.

Takeda gave Shizuru a strange sideways glance as he dealt. "Um, apologies in advanced."

It was a test, but Shizuru wasn't sure if she passed or not. They'd stayed up late, and even though she wasn't particularly a fan of compulsive gambling, Nao's colorful personality had proved to be a form of entertainment. Midway into the game, a dark haired man had joined them, and Shizuru had more than enjoyed his humor. It was more subtle, and it seemed to infuriate the redhead at her side.

That was the best karma.

Somehow, she managed to avoid getting drunker than a skunk, but the others, Reito included, didn't seem to be so lucky.

Shizuru retired late into the night, not thinking too deeply about the fact that the redhead had disappeared into the room across the hall from her, on the second level. "Boy-toy indeed…" Shizuru murmured to herself as she turned off the light.

Really, it wasn't any of her concern, as long as she didn't have to hear any of it, and by the sounds of the music, they were doing a very good job of drowning themselves out.

In the room across the hall, sex was never soft and sweet, it was rough, angry, and quick. It never lasted long, never needed to. Just something to take the edge off, that's all that either of them wanted. They were friends first, and left it at that.

"A fuck's, a fuck." Nao would say, if the man asked how she was feeling afterwards, as he always seemed to.

"You staying the night?" He asked when she finally caught her breath.

She watched him clean up, tying the used condom tightly and dumping it in the trash, along with a few antibacterial tissues. "Maybe…" she said, scanning the floor for her pink and white panties. "Don't really feel like walking home. You give a shit of I crash out?"

He just rolled his eyes and handed her a pillow. "Be my guest, but at least find my boxers."

She smacked him in the face with the plaid garments, rolled over, and went to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Stress Me Out  
Chapter 4  
Week 1: A Wednesday  
**(Mai, Natsuki, Nao's house)

Nao had crept into Natsuki's room just as the sun had begun to rise from behind the the clouds. she's divested herself of her clothes, slid under Natsuki's covers, and had begin trailing kisses from Natsuki's neck, to her shoulders, her fingers plucking at Natsuki's nightshirt along the way. It was a long men's T-shirt that had a slogan on it. _"Jesus loves you, everyone else thinks your an idiot."_ The lettering read, in white letters against black fabric.

Nao had purchased that as a gift for Natsuki several years back. To see her wearing it now, only pleased the redhead more. gently tugging on the collar once more, she sunk her teeth into Natsuki's shoulder, not bothering to be gentle about it.

"Shit…" A sleepy, pissed off hiss. "Don't bite me."

Nao tanked on Natsuki's dark tresses in response, and sleepy emerald eyes narrowed into a dagger-like glair when Nao began stripping her of her garments, again leaving bite-marks. Natsuki too the intuitive, and she began to bite back.

"Damn it, pup... Teeth you bitch... Watch your god damn teeth."

"Then don't pull my hair or be biting on me so hard, either." Natsuki said softly, forest meeting emerald. "Nao, you know that this doesn't solve anything, right?"

"I don't give a damn." Nao said without missing a beat, her lips crashing back into Natsuki's own, her hands tangling themselves in those long tendrils of dark, silky hair. She didn't want to think, only to feel the high of any euphoria that she could, but Natsuki pulled away.

"I do." Natsuki said sternly, her eyes almost wet.

"Ah, fuck…" Nao murmured quietly. "Pup…"

Natsuki's forehead fell, resting on Nao's chest. "This isn't a game to me."

Nao frowned, grabbing Natsuki's hair, yanking her head upwards. "Hey…don't…be like…shit…" Nao shook her head. She hated emotions, dealing with them from anyone.

"You slept with Tate." Natsuki said, her tone soft, but left no room for debate. It wasn't a question, it was an accusation, a true one. "You went over there after work, got shit-faced, screwed him…and then you have the nerve to come to my bed the very next morning?"

"You have the nerve to let me?" Nao asked, reaching for a cigarette. "Who's more fucked in the head?"

"I never said it wasn't screwed up, and dysfunctional…but…" Natsuki sighed.

Nao rolled her eyes, and flipped Natsuki over, her teeth nipping on the butt of that cigarette in her mouth. "Hey…" A low growl, and that cig met the ashtray wit a clatter. "Stop thinking. Doesn't do you any good, we are what we are. I'm not changing. Neither are you."

"That's true…but-" Roughly, Natsuki was silenced with a kiss, one so rough, she tasted a hint of blood between the stinging of the feeling.

"No buts..." Nao said then. "Got ya at the top of my fuckit list. That's not going to change, not even with Tate around. He's well hung, so what? You've got tongue, and a smoking hot ass. You best him, Natsuki, so chill a little."

The only problem was, Natsuki was a thinker, her mind awhirl with very kiss, every breath, and every wasted moment after that. She was in too deep, but the shores were too shallow. Nao went to work, Natsuki stayed home, sleepless, restless. Unable to put her life and what it all meant into perspective. She was pissed off, but even more, she felt weak. She hated that feeling, and knowing that Nao caused it.

She wanted to make another really bad mistake, to go to Mai's room still completely naked, curl up next to the woman, and just…

Fall to pieces.

She couldn't do that though, and instead took a hot shower, and tried to put the whole thing out of her mind. It was better to do things that way, to bottle it all up, lock it away. Things were easier when Mai also left for work, and she though that she could avoid the questions that would come her way… but Mai called her on the phone later that afternoon.

"So, how's your day?"

"Sllllooooowwww." Natsuki muttered, idly tapping away at her computer, the cell-phone cradled in the shell of her ear. "Nothing to watch on television, tried to get in a nap, but that failed. Someone had the brilliant idea to change the dial on the vegetable crisper, so I had to throw away soggy lettuce."

"Darn it, I knew I forgot something last night…sorry Natsuki, you weren't getting into that for lunch, were you?"

"Nah...Mai, I'm too tired to make anything right now..."

"I told you that you weren't made for a night job." Mai laughed.

Some really loud sounds came through on Mai's end and Natsuki balked. That was not the reason. Nao was, but Mai probably already knew that. "Hey, can't complain much. It pays my chunk of the bills, and gives me a bit extra. I'm not that bothered by it." Even more strange sounds came crashing and crinkling. Frankly, it was giving her head headache. "What the heck are you doing?"

"Busting boxes." Mai said as another particularly loud crunch came through. "Nao left a mess in the back room again."

Emerald eyes rolled. "Oh…"

"Just a sec Natsuki." Mai said to her before she heard Mai talking to someone else. "Where's Nao… Why doesn't that surprise me? … Wonderful… Tell her I said to get her butt back here and clean up this mess… Yeah, I wish… Hmm… No, you can't… You don't have your Hi-Low license yet, I'll do it." More rustling and a few stifled curses could be heard before Mai sighed. "Sorry about that, Natsuki, I'm back now."

"Fun day at work, Mai?" Natsuki grinned.

"Nao's being her usual pleasant self today it seems." Mai sounded stressed, and her ire was slowly starting to rise. "Meanwhile, the new employee hasn't been through the Hi-Low certification yet, and so I'm going to need to drive the stupid thing."

Natsuki pulled her phone away from her ear, looking at it as if had suddenly grown a face. "One handed?!"

"Bluetooth, genius." Mai said, punching another box through. "Either way, Nao knows I don't like working the machinery. I'd rather be out on the floor sticking the shelves, which is what she's doing. Anyway reason I called is because you didn't leave your schedule on the fridge, so I had no idea if you were fending for yourself for dinner tonight or not."

"Tonight's my long night, I go in at six, get off at six the next morning. Full twelve hours." Natsuki said, glancing to the shift times that she had crumpled by her bed. "Why what were you thinking?"

"Simple, whatever it is. I also work tonight over at the diner. It's going to be a pain, because I know it'll be short handed there too." Mai explained, almost sounding less than pleased. "I'm just going to toss together some ramen and call it a wrap. Nao won't be too pleased, but you know how that goes."

"Speaking of, where was Nao last night?" Natsuki asked, biting into a candy bar that happened to be sitting around. "I came home, but her bedroom door was wide open, no Nao was to be had. I wanted around, but I crashed out a little while after that."

"She didn't come home after work, but considering her unusually spunky mood, I'd say she was probably hanging around with Tate."

"Shit…" Natsuki sighed, a clear pain in her voice. "Thought so..."

"Natsuki…"

"What…?"

"Don't give me that tone." Mai scolded, the beeping of the Hi-low in the background signaling she was backing up. Natsuki had heard the racket plenty of times before. "I think you and Nao need to have a talk, a real one. Not a cursing match, or one of those weird, abusive make-out sessions that leaves one or both of you bleeding. An actual talk, for once."

"…I don't see where that's any of your concern." Natsuki pointed out coldly, only to hear Mai laughed darkly.

"You know, that's rich coming from you, given our discussion the other night. If you can go snooping into my personal life, Natsuki Kuga, you expect the same treatment from me, and don't you forget that." Mai paused, but Natsuki didn't say anything, so Mai continued. "Talk. To. Nao. Do it before you both drive each other completely crazy."

Natsuki couldn't argue the point. "Yeah, well, I'm already crazy. Nao isn't one for talking."

"Neither are you." Mai reminded her. "Listen, I'm not going to get up your butt about it, but if you care about her, actually tell her."

"Yeah, as if Nao ever listens to anything I ever say." Natsuki rebuked. "All we do is fight, you know that."

"So make her listen, Natsuki. If you have something meaningful to say to her, you should actually say it." Mai sighed, her words becoming gentle. "If you two would quit barking and insulting each other, you might actually make progress."

"I thought you weren't going to keep pushing the subject…" Natsuki growled into the phone, her grip tightening ever so slightly.

"I haven't locked you both in a room yet, have I?" Mai asked her honestly. "Don't drive me to that point."

"Yeah…" Natsuki took a breath. "Yeah… Fine, I'll talk to her soon."

…  
(Maruyama)

A long day over and done with, the night was a lonely one.

She looked out of her window, watching the passersby, it was an empty thing. She could force a smile, but with no one there to see it, even that seemed pointless. It wasn't that she missed her family, but, she missed having someone around. Pouring herself some whiskey, a drink that reminded her of her late father, she turned on some music softly and played around on her phone.

Checking social media, reading some posts from the nightly news, scanning some of her more frequented websites. All of it took less time than she expected, and before she knew it, she was looking at that number. Licking her lips, she dialed, waiting for that now familiar voice to trickle through to the other end. A simple invitation, that's all it would take, and it's what she made as she asked if Mai wanted to stop by for a little while.

Asking her if she would…

Mai agreed, but warned that it could only be for a short time...

When Mai finally got there, though, Shizuru didn't know what to do. They were friends now, friends, with something more, something deeper, but what did that truly imply? Without pleasantry, nor explanation on her behalf, she reached up to slowly cup Mai's cheek, and it was then violet eyes seemed to know. Seemed to see, glistening with understanding.

Mai leaned in, initiating the first kiss, a quick one.

"I don't mind, but, if we're going to do this… I have some rules." Mai said quietly, shedding off her thick jacket, and pulling off her shirt, leaving her ample breasts covered by only her light blue demi-bra. "Five of them. Once all five get broken, this, between us…it stops, and it never happens again."

Shizuru nodded, leaning in to kiss Mai again, this time is was slower, more timid. "What are they?"

"Rule number one…" Mai said slowly, unbuttoning Shizuru's shirt, leaving a trail of gentle kisses along her path. "It's almost always the first to be broken. No jealousy. None. I live with other women, I hang out with other men. Sometimes it goes places, sometimes it doesn't." She took a breath, her fingers slowly tugging away the fabric once it rested loosely on Shizuru's shoulders. "We make it work because if we want to be friends in the aftermath, we have to. Nao, for example, we have a history."

That made too much sense, but Shizuru nodded. If Mai wanted trust, Shizuru could do that. It wasn't as if they promised to be monogamous, or even that they were officially dating. This was, for all intents, another one night stand…something that could invite something more. "That one's simple enough. The second?" Shizuru asked as her fingers began to trail up the thin strap of Mai's bra, thinking to remove it.

"Rule two, is a no brainer. We're not a dirty little secret." Mai said, stepping ever so closer, letting Shizuru have the one simple victory her fingers begged to have. "I'm not in the closet, I won't go into one just because you're a woman. The moment you try to bury my existence, or pretend that we haven't been together like this, is the moment I'm going to be really pissed. You don't have to shout it from the roof tops, or anything...but don't hide it either."

"I have no family." Shizuru said quietly, nipping at her lower lip as Mai's words ghosted over the crook of her neck. The bed was right behind her, and with a tiny little shove, Shizuru fell backwards onto it. "That rule would be incredibly hard for me to break."

"It still somehow manages to get broken every time." Mai's white belt unclipping and falling to the floor punctuated that statement. Her jeans followed quickly behind. Her panties matched her discarded bra. "Rule three, we don't sleep in the same bed. That's something I reserve for monogamous lovers, or platonic friends only. When the night's out, I go back home to my bed, or you go to yours. If push comes to shove, I'll sleep on the floor."

Shizuru didn't like the sound of that, her eyes narrowing, a concern starting to form there in her pools of crimson. "Mai I…" and then a finger silenced her.

"Rule four, you can't top me without asking…but, even if you do, remember it's just sex. It doesn't mean anything." Mai said softly, as she her fingers pushed Shizuru down upon the blankets, Mai loomed over her, violet eyes gazing down. "But that brings me to rule five. All of those previous rules are my attempt to keep rule five from happening."

"What's rule five?" Shizuru asked quietly, almost afraid to know.

Mai took a breath, licked her lips. "Don't get attached, and don't grow dependent. Most of all, don't fall in love with me. If you do, this…it stops Shizuru. I really mean that."

…  
(A confessional box, at the local catholic church.)

"Nao, you're not going to do yourself any favors just sitting there staring daggers into the holy book."

There was only one person on the face of this planet that would talk to her while she sat in the pews. Well, two, perhaps…but the father wasn't sure to be around at this late hour. Nao looked up to the nun that was now standing over her. "Forgive me sister, for this book is horseshit."

"Yet, you hold onto it desperately." The woman said as she took a seat beside the angry redhead. "You have not come to visit in weeks, I thought you might have forgotten what draws you here."

"Just thinking is all." Nao said with a shrug. "Couldn't do it back at the house. Came here. Nuff said."

"I know you too well for such a wall, child." The woman laughed simply. There were many people who found the young woman terrifying, or at least a dark smudge on the church if little else. Yukariko, however, held no such disposition. "Your mother wrote me the other day, she does well, so I hear. Have you not contacted her?"

"And remind her that I exist?" Nao laughed. "Penguin, you have too much faith in people."

"Well, I am a woman of the cloth." An outstretched hand, a promise kept, and yet, a promise so utterly failed. "Nao, not all are meant are meant to stay in one place. Your mother, she is such a woman, but, her faith is still strong. Her beliefs are very, very powerful."

"Can't run fast enough, can she?" Nao asked, scowling, rage.

"People were not made fly to the heavens alone, Nao." The nun said. "When your mother was pregnant with you, she considered her transgression a blessing. However, she was indeed a woman of the cloth, married to God, just as I am. To stray from that, to stray from the convent, forced her to make choices that she had to carefully consider. You were one of them."

"Yeah, well good on her, right?" Nao muttered, she never did have a close relationship with the ex-nun who'd run away from the convent.

"You two are both very similar." Yukariko laughed gently. "You both struggle within the limits of your own lives. You, you are still here determining what those limits are. Your mother, she is out there, breaking those limits."

"Yeah well, I'm not going to be wearing that get-up any time soon." Nao smirked. "Not that it matters. According to a few of my friends, I break enough things as it is, but you wouldn't know about that. Anyway, penguin, good talk. Feel better. Getting outta here so that you can finally go to bed."

"I shall pray for you." Yukariko said ever so softly. "And…you should visit more often."

"Because that's what Godmother's do right?" Nao's voice gentled too, but only enough to keep the rage out of her voice.

Yukariko didn't look back to Nao's fleeting form, she didn't need to. She already knew well of that closed fisted stance, the way that forest green eyes would shut to force away any other emotion besides anger. The way her lips would form a line, then a dark grin, and then from her mouth would come a harsh quip. The nun spoke before the last of those things could happen. "No matter how old you get, Nao, you will always be the baby I vowed to watch over at your baptism. That I am a nun, such as your mother was, has nothing to do with it."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Just like "Maruyama" is actually a real share-house, located about 15 mins from the Nakano Station, "The Hangover" is an American style pub located in Nakano. The owner learned about American style cuisine when he came here, and took that cooking style back to Japan with him. As such, you can expect amazing craft beer there, and wings like you'd find here in the USA (say, like a Buffalo Wild Wings, or a Twin Peaks). They say his fish and chips are to die for. The only thing is, it's pretty small. Only about 20 seats available…but, as I've been told by many, that's just how the community is in Nakano.

Closely knit, and very much family…anyway, just an interesting little tidbit.

 **Stress Me Out  
Chapter 5  
Week 1: A Thursday  
**(A high-rise in the middle of the Nakano Midway)

The clock blared one in the morning, and Natsuki continued sweeping the floor, not paying any mind to the ramblings on of her co-worker. As always, he seemed more than happy to drive her crazy. She liked him as a friend, had a close relationship with him since high school, and she respected his opinion, usually.

There was still something about him though…something that drove her completely nuts. She turned to him as he grimaced over picking up a really rotten trash bag, liquid, what looked to be coffee dripping from the clear bag. "Would you stop acting like such a chick?"

"Would you stop acting like such a dude?" He shot back before he chucked the mess into the mobile dumpster on wheels that he had with him. "Really, when you said you found us better jobs than flipping burgers, I thought I'd be rid of dealing with that kind of trash can."

"The pay is more than double, wimp." Natsuki said with a laugh. "Deal with it."

"Ice queen."

"Jackass."

Takeda gave the beautiful woman at his side a glance…merely a soft one, admiring her once more. The blue jumpsuit wasn't flattering on her form, and neither were the rubber and steel work-boots, but there was just something about her. "So, what's your plans after this?"

"Go home." Natsuki shrugged. "Sleep. That's about it."

They had five more hours to work, but he knew of a little twenty-four hour dive. "Oh…well, want to get some breakfast after the shift ends?"

"You know I don't eat right after work." Natsuki visibly shivered at the thought. "It's not sanitary, it's just gross."

"Well, after you take a shower then, or something." He'd blurted it so fast, his hark skin heated around his cheeks. A deep blush, he hid from her. "We don't hang out enough, you know? I kind of miss it, the way we used to be."

"Uh, me beating the absolute crap out of you?" Natsuki asked with an upraised eyebrow. "It's not like we were that close back then…in fact, I kind of hated you."

"I liked you…" He said quietly. "I still do, maybe I didn't express that well, but, I thought you were pretty cool."

"It's the past." Natsuki said, feeling a little strange. "Can we leave it there? It's weird to hear you say that kind of thing out of the blue…"

"That's just how I feel, that's all." Takeda sighed as he gathered the last of the trash. That completed that floor, and they went to the elevator, pushing the call button. "Natsuki, you're very pretty you know…even when you are mad."

"What's up with you tonight?" Natsuki just shook her head, he would have to get over her eventually.

He fought with himself. He didn't want to say it, but emerald eyes, so crystal clear…they looked at him, saw through him, and he knew he had to. "Tate and I, we talk…compare notes and things…you know that, right?"

"Uh, yeah, not really a huge surprise. Nao and I do all the time." She said it too softly, a tiny husk there…gentleness behind the clear annoyance. "I think it's like a normal thing that people do. Mai talks to be about a lot of things, too."

"He told me…about you and Nao."

Even though the door opened, they were face to face now. Natsuki was shocked to hear it coming from Takeda. She knew Nao talked, and didn't doubt that everyone had an idea of what was going on, but it still bothered her.

"...What?"

"Tate told me...about you and Nao."

"Jesus..." Natsuki sighed.

"You know …I remember how it all started between them, about a year ago…we were up on the roof, smoking." Takeda shrugged. "Nao was upset, so Tate invited her along. We spent all night talking about random things…she got high of her ass…drunk too…said some stuff about him and passed out…so he took her to his room. Looked after her the entire next day while she puked her guts out."

"That's water under the bridge, why bring that up?" Natsuki tried to force a laugh, but it died before it even reached the air.

"Because…I…I just…I guess Nao's the one that started it between them, and then…" Takeda shook his head. "Hey, you know, I was happy he found someone, he's a good guy…but, Nao talks…and she kind of treats him like shit…"

"If you haven't noticed, she treats everyone like shit..." Natsuki trailed off.

He leaned on the wall, gave Natsuki a sideways glance, and nodded. "I know. Anyway, Nao told him about the night you two got really trashed recently…how she woke up naked in your bed…said she was going to do it more often. Told him flat out, she was going to start sleeping with you… I thought to myself that maybe you just needed someone around, and I thought…you know…maybe…I could be that person."

He began walking out of the elevator, brushing aside he feelings like they were nothing, but, Natsuki knew better than that. He'd always had a crush on her, but, she'd always assumed that it ended at strictly that. A crush…a thing a young guy has that eventually goes away.

"What did Tate say about that?" Natsuki almost blurted. "Doesn't he care?"

"With the way he's been drinking himself stupid recently? Yeah, Natsuki…" Takeda sighed as he shook his head. "I think he cares, and frankly, so do I. She's fucking around with my best friend's feelings, and I'm not okay with that."

"I'm not either…" Natsuki for once in her life in Takeda's presence, let just a little bit of weakness show through. She closed her eyes, pulled off one of the white sanitary gloves and smoothed out the hair along her head, even though it was pulled back into a tight ponytail already. A ragged breath fell from her lips, she shook it off right then and there. "But…I did sleep with her, that's on me too. You can't blame all of that shit on Nao. She was sober this morning, and, that still...didn't stop us…so…I don't know what the hell to tell you."

She had to go back to work, get her mind off of Nao, off of the things she wanted to say. It was too personal for her, too raw, for anything else to come out of her mouth…but she was sure of something. Takeda he was genuinely concerned. He didn't speak again for the entire shift outside of work related phrases, and some part of her was undeniably grateful for that.

…  
(Mai, Natsuki, Nao's house.)

Another day, another hangover...

It was better that way, in Nao's often humbled opinion. Hangovers meant sleeping in most of the morning, and being too tired to care about thinking too deeply. It was, in its own way, a form of escape that was intrinsically unpleasant. It wasn't as if it felt good to have a splitting headache, or an upset gut. It made her feel alive, reminding her that even at her most numb, pain could, and would, still be around her when she least wanted it.

Not that it rightly mattered one way or the other. She never really analyzed the reasons why. That was fine.

A small nock on the door frame, and Nao lifted her head off of the pillow. "Better be good."

Mai rolled her eyes, handing Nao a bottle of water and two pills from the kitchen. "Do you work today?"

She rubbed her eyes, took the pills in hand and slung them back, drinking deeply from the bottle as she did so. "Don't think so…" She pulled up her phone. "No, not today." She said tiredly, it was already almost the middle of the afternoon. "I deal with the full shift on Saturday. Work a double since we've got to reface whole fucking store…god-damned policy changes. Midori will probably call your ass in too."

"Can't, I work on Saturday."

"Call in sick then."

"No. I know that we're missing one of our staff member already at the diner." Then, as an afterthought, Mai shrugged. "I told Midori, only on my days off anyway, so, she knows not to call."

"Fuck that, Mai, we need you hauling ass." Nao complained. "The scrub isn't going to be enough."

"Shizuru isn't that bad…"

"The hell she isn't!"

"It's her first week." Mai finally said, raising her voice only slightly. "Nao, your first week on the job, you backed the Hi-Low through the dry-wall, and you were late all five days you were there. I had to beg Midori to keep you on, and I had to pull extra shifts just to get you acclimated to the back room since you wouldn't listen to anyone."

"Well that was years ago, I'm a manager now." The redhead shot back. "I'm saying that this chick belongs out of the way, not schlepping inventory."

"My point is, she's proven herself to be more of an asset on her first week than you ever were. She works hard, and even you know that." Mai knew that Nao would be hard to convince, but, Nao was also one of the best managers for that store that she had ever known, lackluster vocabulary aside. "You've just got to get that stick out of your butt, and give Shizuru a fighting chance."

"Aw, god-damn it…" Nao said as she fought back what had to be the worst case of nausea she'd ever had. "Look, we both know the only stick up my ass, is that this was not the week for her to start."

"That's on Midori," Mai interjected, "not Shizuru."

"Hey, I like the scrub," Nao said flippantly. "Else I would have sabotaged her tight little ass the moment that she walked in. I just didn't need to deal with her this week, of all weeks. This is more than the usual Fi-Fo and GOT flip."

"That's true, but it's good for Shizuru to learn that being in that back inventory room is going to be hectic…" Mai admitted softly. "Just be calm about it."

"Yeah, yeah, you're a ray of sunshine, I know…but get this; even the things that don't go bad are being re-faced…and there's a sale going on soon in housewares besides!" She sighed, as she stretched. Her head was bothering her a bit more acutely than normal, she rubbed at her eyes again. "Shit, and Saturday is the worst delivery day of the week. We're going to have our heads so far up our ass come Monday that we'll see daylight."

"Won't be the first time we've been behind." Mai shrugged. "Welcome to retail."

Nao glared murderous daggers. "We need you there, hands down."

"Nao, I can't." Mai said, not budging on the matter. "Anyway, you should get up. Lunch is in the fridge, Natsuki's out somewhere, and I'm not going to be home to make dinner. You two are on your own. Don't murder each other." She held up a white paper envelope addressed from the water company. "By the way, in case you didn't know, this hit the mailbox today. It totally needs to be paid, or they're going to shut off the water again."

"I just paid the damn thing!" Nao, now angry, ripped the bill out of Mai's hand. "The fuck? I paid this last week over the phone. Confirmation number and all that shit. I'm going to call those assholes. They shut off this water, and they'll have a foot in their ass. That simple."

"I'm just the messenger…" Mai said in mock surrender. "Anyway, that's about all that I know is going on for today."

"Can you at least re-tag the stuff from houseware today? I'm not going to get electronics done if I have to deal with pricing all of those stupid towels and gadgets." Nao asked as she lit up a smoke. "You'd think we'd be able to hire in another person for day staff, but Midori's too damn lazy for that."

"We have Shizuru to train." Mai shot back. "That's enough, once she learns the store, she'll be fine on day shift."

"That bitch better not be there on Saturday…"

"She's not." Mai said with absolute certainty. "She works today and tomorrow. Saturday and Sunday she's got off, so you won't have her to shadow you and slow you down. Unless she get's called in, but if that's the case, put her on something easy."

"Then who the hell do I have on Saturday?!"

"I think some guy from the night staff…call Midori, Nao…find out." Mai looked to her watch. "Anyway, I've got to go, or I'll be late."

Nao just sighed. "…what in the bloody hell is wrong with people…"

Mai had wanted to be able to help on Saturday, truly she did, but her main priority was the diner. That tiny eatery was a place where her childhood hours were spent drinking milkshakes and gossiping long until the evening, when they'd be kicked out. Working there reminded her of her past. It gave her a little warm feeling of something that she just didn't get when it came to the stocking shelves, and managing inventory.

It was the image of close families and friends, young loves and heartbreak…and…there was something to all of that…something that Mai, as she got older, didn't want to just forget and ignore.

Mai was a hard worker though, and she still felt tied to her first job that she'd ever gotten…felt attached to the dusty back room, where cardboard seemed to breed, and bubble wrap came in long, one hundred foot sheets.

Shizuru was already dressing in the locker room by the time that Mai got there. Unlike Nao, who dressed in work appropriate attire on a daily basis out of sure laziness alone. Shizuru opted for skirts or properly fitting pants that weren't conducive for grunt-work. Still though, that unflattering polo shirt aside, Shizuru was still beautiful. Mai had a pair of her work jeans on, but had to switch out her shirt upon arrival.

"Hey." Mai greeted as she fiddled with the combination on her locker. "Are you clocked in for the day?"

"No, not yet." Shizuru said, glancing at her watch. "I ended up getting here a little early. "I'll go do that, and then I'll go through the returns that costumer service just sent back here."

"Actually, change of plans…" Mai said, giving Shizuru her keys. "Go to housewares, re-tag everything according to what the GOT says on the price listing. We're doing a markdown on everything in that department. It should be fifteen to forty percent off, depending on what it is. If the GOT gives you trouble, or you get lost in one of the menus, then just radio me. I'm on frequency six…and remember, Midori's on frequency 7, you can get a hold of her too."

"Alright then…" Their fingers brush. She wasn't on the clock yet, so she let her eyes meet Mai's in a suggestive way. "Dinner tonight, after our shift? My treat."

"Yeah..." Mai nodded. "Sounds good." Doing the back room on her own was going to be hell, there was no two ways about it. She just dived in head first, hoping she could at least maintain the workload. Nao had been right, they needed another day-shift worker.

…  
(A small pub; The Hangover)

Shizuru was not exactly a beer drinker, she found the taste unpalatable. She ordered whiskey on the rocks instead, in front of them, two orders of fish and chips waited to be savored. It was a far cry from the night-club they'd met in, with the blaring music and the loud and questionably dressed patrons. This was quant, but all the seats were full. There was banter among the crowd, but it was kept to a lone drone.

"They have some of the best fish and chips I've ever tasted, and that says something." Mai said with a smirk as she dipped one of the fried potatoes in some ketchup that had been placed on the side for her convenience. "I've tasted a lot of food over the years."

"Mm. It is good, isn't it?" It was good, Shizuru decided then, partaking a bit of the fried fish and dipping it in a little bit of tartar sauce. "You must come here often."

"Not as often as I'd like." Mai said with a shrug. "I come here with friends or on dates, but, it doesn't have much of a scene around here. If I'm looking for a good time, I go to that little nightclub inside of the Nakano Midway."

"That is a point." Shizuru laughed, though in truth, that place had felt just a little bit overwhelming. "I'm not the sort of person who goes out much, at least, I wasn't such a person."

"With as much as you traveled?" Mai gave Shizuru a lopsided little smile. "That's hard to believe."

Shizuru cleared her throat just the latest bit. "I traveled with my husband at the time, but it was primarily work related." Picking up her glass, the amber liquid was an easy decoy. What could she say? How much detail could she go into? She suspected liquid courage would not be quite enough this time to make her loose lipped. "Mai, I honestly lived a very sheltered life compared to what you might suspect. I'm sure…being with you, I've been a little more free-spirited."

"I've been told I have that effect on people." Mai said, brushing the comment off as she toyed with another piece of fried potato. "I wouldn't know, really…I just sort of do things my own way. People either follow, or they don't. I suppose that's why Nao and I are such good friends. It just so happened that we were headed in the same direction in our lives more often than not."

"You two must be close…" Shizuru agreed, but, just how far that closeness went, Shizuru wasn't entirely sure. "Do you mind if I ask; how many people have you been with?"

"People like Nao, you mean? People who've stuck around? Only three. Natsuki, Nao, and a man named Reito." Mai laughed, seeing the hesitation there. "Nao and I, well, let's just say that we work together better as just really, really close friends. There's no barriers between us, and, she hasn't really broken any of the rules…well, probably number one..but she's so abrasive you'd never really know even if she did."

"Oh, yes I could see that." Shizuru agreed. "She does strike me as being quite protective of you."

Mai only nodded. "Even so, everyone seems to break rule number one."

"With a woman as pretty as you, it would be hard not to be." Shizuru admitted, not even remotely teasing.

"Imagine the trouble I'll have when it comes to you." Mai was also just being honest, Shizuru could to tell, because there was no humor in violet eyes. "But, I do believe in the rules...and that we stick to them. It's the best really, so that no one gets hurt in this."

"I have no other suitors, Mai." Shizuru told her. "You don't have to worry."

"Not yet." Mai amended as she went back to eating her food. She thought about the people she lived with, trying to think of a good example. "I like Nao as a friend, and as housemates, we're compatible, so I wouldn't turn her down." A smile, and that violet eyed gaze met Shizuru fully. "It's just that Nao looks for other things than what I can offer her, so, I'm not usually her first choice, and that's okay."

"The other friend of yours, Natsuki…you two are very close as well?" There was something about that name, the way it rolled off Mai's tongue that made Shizuru take another heavy sip of her drink. "You speak her name very differently, so I'm just curious."

Main noted the playful gaze, and licked her lips. She considered not saying a word, but when Shizuru's lips twitched upwards good-naturedly, Mai decided it would be okay. Her voice gentled, grew softer and she leaned just a little. "Natsuki's a different breed, she's broken four of the five rules. She was the first woman I'd ever been with, an experimental phase, I guess. She's one of the reasons I came up with the rules in the first place."

"She was the jealous type?" Shizuru asked conspiratorially.

"Well yes…but, it was more than that." Mai admitted this with her eyes downcast, lifting her beer to her lips. "I was young, Shizuru…and, I made a lot of mistakes...that's why she's the exception to the rules...the only one I've ever made, and the only one I ever will."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: for those that don't know; "Inhime" cream is an aphrodisiac cream for women. It's actually a thing that exists.

 **Stress Me Out  
Chapter 6  
Week 1: A Friday  
**(The Homura Estate)

Nagi looked out to the gardens in front of his rather large home. Sixteen bedrooms, ten bathrooms, eight sitting areas, a formal dining room, and two small coffee nooks, a grand library, a smaller study, his personal office, and a spacious property with plenty to do. There was nothing modest about the home, not that he particularly minded one way or the other.

It was his, entirely.

He had no family, something which he wanted, if only as proof of his family name. Someone to pass along the entirety of his material things, along with his personal convictions. Having all of the money he'd ever need, and then some, he considered adopting a child, if only so that he would have a failsafe, but he found that to be his last resort. When he had been married, the topic had been a non-issue. He hadn't contemplated it very deeply because in his mind it had been a guarantee.

Now on his own again, he had to account for other factors. Adoption was something he once again considered as he held his hands behind his back, watching the groundkeepers caring for the yard below. He reached for his tea cup and lifted it to his lips, and then peered at his phone.

No call, no text – nothing.

"That insipid woman…" He spoke the words like a curse.

"You should do something."

"I am doing something." He knew it would be complicated when he scribbled his name on the divorce papers. "I'm waiting for my wife to come home."

"That she hasn't called…" The far older woman sighed. "My daughter, she means a great deal to me. I know that she must mean a great deal to you, otherwise, you would have never asked for her hand in marriage. Please, help her return to her senses."

"Shizuru isn't the type to just listen to me. As they say, harsh lessons are best learned by harsh realities." Honestly, he didn't love her, and his reasons for wanting her to respond weren't even anything more than a formality at best, but it was one he was still careful to maintain. It wasn't any of his concern, not particularly, outside of one woman that was a thorn in his side. He had told her to wait a little while, and before he made a big deal out of the issue, he planned to hold fast to his words.

Even so, he wondered where Shizuru Fujino, his ex-wife was, and where in the world she thought she was going. No one could escape him, not unless he personally allowed them to.

He would never know that at that particular moment, the woman on his mind was happily sipping her own cup of tea and reading the morning paper.

…  
(Maruyama)

Shizuru had a knack for keeping up on the world stage, politics and the like – an old habit, a comfortable one. In a lifestyle full of change, it was nice to reach for the news bulletins. There was nothing particularly interesting, but, there didn't need to be, not right at that moment. It was just the feel of the paper in between her fingertips, the slow reading, and the grid of numbers on the page. Reading those small blurbs were enough to set her mind at ease.

She had no sooner turned to the sports page when she found herself to be a third party in a most unwelcome topic of conversation.

"Last I looked man, it isn't your concern who I'm messing around with."

"I never said it was, but I don't believe sex was the topic at hand."

By the sounds of the voices, Tate and Reito…

"Sure as hell sounds like it to me..." Tate was the first to come into view. "I can handle myself, so you don't have to worry…"

Reito followed closely behind. "Look, I'm not saying that you shouldn't see Nao, far from it, in fact. For what it's worth, I think she's actually good for you, and in some ways she forces you to be a better person." Said a dark-haired man to as they entered the kitchen, setting a pot of coffee on. "I'm just saying to watch yourself."

"Like you watched yourself around Mai?" Tate shot back defensively.

"Ass." Reito said pleasantly as he handed Tate a warm mug. "I'm well aware of Mai's shortcomings, but our relationship wasn't one of them."

"You want to talk about bad news, she was bad news. I still can't believe she let you get between her legs. Nothing but trouble man, I kept telling you that, and look where it got you. She wouldn't even marry you."

"Regardless though, you're in no position to speak of my activities, considering your own." Reito merely sighed. "Besides, that's not a very nice thing to say around polite company." He greeted Shizuru from his place at the counter, stirring his coffee with a spoon. "Good morning, Shizuru."

Shizuru perked up at the sound of her name and cleared her throat. This was not a conversation she wanted to be around. "Good morning gentlemen. I was just finished the morning paper before work, so if you'll excuse me-"

"Oh, no please, don't mind us." Reito brought his coffee to the table and sat down. "We're not used to seeing early risers around here. Normally we're the only ones awake at this hour."

"No, that's quite alright, I really should be going." Shizuru had already gathered her phone, notepad, mug, and morning paper. "A pleasure to see you again, Mr…"

"Kanzaki, but please just, call me Reito as everyone else does." He stood with her, it was the polite thing to do. "You should join us, besides, it isn't as if we're complete strangers. We live under the same roof."

Placated by his words, Shizuru considered him. Maybe she should sit down. Reito was an intelligent man by far, one of the nicer ones she'd come across, and by the looks of the paper under his coffee, he truly hadn't meant any harm. Still, she glanced towards Tate, and felt her heart sink.

She didn't like the way he spoke about Mai, and she wasn't sure what their earlier argument had entailed. Still, Mai had spoken highly of both of them…

"We are that, I suppose." Shizuru placed her things neatly back in front of her. "You assumed correct, I am not a morning person. It's merely that I work a particularly early shift today. I thought, since I had the time, I'd get in a little bit of recommended reading."

"Sounds like a drag…" Tate said, head resting in the palm of his hand as he sipped his coffee sleepily. "And this tastes like crap, did you change the filter?"

"Yes I did…but no wonder you don't like it. Clearly, it's Colombian…" Reito said as he tasted his own cup, seeing nothing wrong with it. "Pour some of that sweetener in it, and it'll be fine."

"A coinsure of coffee are you?" Shizuru asked amused, but Reito actually nodded.

"In fact, I am." He tapped the stocks page that Shizuru had been reading about. "Kanzaki Trading Co. I'm the CEO's nephew. We import and export goods, and coffee is one of them. When I was a child, it was a household staple. Never grew out of it."

"Tea cups too…" Tate grumbled. "Hoity-toity hobbies like that, I'll never get them."

Shizuru had to admit, that was a rather rare hobby to find. At least, around the type of people she lived with. "I'd be inclined to agree, actually…"

"Oh?" A dark eyebrow raised.

"She's got ya pegged, man." Tate told his friend, no trace of amusement in his voice.

Shizuru corrected herself immediately. "Maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions, but those sort of pleasures come from a rather strict upbringing more times than not." Most didn't make themselves known often Reito was a rare breed in this particular share-house. "It says quite a bit about the inclination of one's bloodline."

"That could be true I suppose, but I'm neither." Reito said as the woman in front of him gave him a surprised look. "It's just that my uncle is getting older, and he never did get married or settle down. I think he figured that I'd be all too willing to take over for him…and while I'm not exactly displeased about it, that's not my first choice."

"Either way, you still have crap for hobbies." Tate muttered darkly. "Rather play cards, or hit the Pachinko machines. Speaking of, game night at the girl's on Saturday."

"Last I looked, you still owe me for when I gave you an advance from the last game." Reito told him, only a small bit of amusement on his face. "Although, he's right Shizuru, you should come. This time, there'll be more than poker going on."

Shizuru smiled at that. "I might take you up on that." Gambling was actually illegal, and even though she'd seen many people playing cards in the past for money, and she was well aware that people sold their Pachinko prizes back to particular stores, it struck her as odd that this group spoke of the act so openly. "You play often?"

"Whenever we have spare cash…" Tate muttered.

"Speak for yourself…" Reito merely turned his attentions back to Shizuru. "I play rarely, but I do from time to time. I'm more interested in reading or watching television though, if I'm being truly honest."

With a glance to her watch, she knew she had little more time to dawdle. "I have to be getting to work now, but it was a pleasure to chat with you both again." She said with a soft bow, placing her cup in the sink for housekeeping.

She no sooner exited the room that Tate began to mock her. "Pleasure to chat with you again… Geeze, what a pain in the butt. I don't know what's worse... Bossy girls like Mai, or prissy girls like her."

Reito gave him a dark look. "Will you shut up?"

…  
(Mai, Natsuki, and Nao's house)

Household chores in the morning aside, Mai normally took the time for leisure activities, but when she'd woken up with a scribbled note tacked onto the fridge door, her plans changed abruptly, her book idly forgotten on the kitchen counter along with the glass of juice and eggs she'd just made for herself. "It figures that Nao would find a way to blow off steam," Mai said to herself before calling halfway across the house. "Natsuki…"

Mai called the woman, but after a few moments of no reply, she called again, this time, much louder. "Natsuki!" When even that didn't offer a reply, she shook her head. She was probably in her room again, those earphones crammed into her ears whenever she wanted to turn out the world. Sure enough, Mai found Natsuki in her usual spot on the floor, listening to her music from her phone and doing sit-ups.

"Sup Mai?" Natsuki asked, pulling an earbud out, but maintaining her focus.

"A lot actually," Mai said as she leaned on the door frame. "More than I figured I'd be doing. I'm helping at the store for a few hours, then I need to go shopping. Nao's invited everyone over for one of her famous 'crash and trash' parties Saturday night."

Natsuki shook her head, of course Nao would do that after a stressful week. "Yeah, sounds like Nao. Doesn't surprise me."

"Only because it's Nao? I can throw pretty good parties too, you know." Mai said with a laugh.

"That's true, but you aim to actually make use of the 'party,' Nao just sort of uses the word as an obligatory statement of getting drunk." Natsuki didn't ease up in her routine, her breathing heavier than usual. "Not that I care, just make sure no one falls asleep in the hallway. I don't want to eat shit because someone's too drunk to move."

"Duly noted," Mai said with a nod and mock salute. "Do you happen to have your key to the liquor cabinet?"

"Where's yours?"

"In my purse, along with all of my other keys…and before you ask, that's in the kitchen."

Emerald eyes rolled in annoyance. "In my wallet, left butt pocket of my jeans." Natsuki said, finding the need to carry a purse strange. It just wasn't something conducive to her way of life. "How many are going to be here?"

"The usual." Mai said without missing a beat, collecting the metal key. "The boys are coming over, Midori too."

"Midori...huh, that's odd. I thought she'd be working the weekend." Natsuki knew the woman, a great imbiber if she ever knew one. The tall redhead was very nearly on Nao's level, and that was no easy title. "The way Nao's been squawking, you'd think that whole store is a ghost town."

"It'll be after hours. Besides, even Midori needs a break sometimes." Mai laughed then as she walked out into the hallways, unlocking the wooden cabinet that sat between her room and Natsuki's. Inside the cabinet there was a great many things they didn't want stolen. Money, keepsakes, booze, and a small safe filled with paper work, medical records, tax information, birth certificates and identification numbers. "I'm pulling some cash for particulars…"

"Just the booze kind?" Natsuki's ears perked up in question. "Twelve pack of beer would be good." There was a great many things that word could mean, and she had to admit a pang of curiosity at the thought of Mai shopping for those types of items. "Wine coolers too, I don't want to do shots and get a hangover."

"I'll grab a few bottles of wine as well. Probably some condoms too." Mai said as she came back in. "Nao's had to bum from me, and I've only got two left in my bedside drawer."

"Wine and condoms…sounds familiar." Natsuki switched from sit-ups to the pullup bar she had attached in her closet. "Not that that it's any of my business, but, I thought you weren't taking Reito to bed anymore…"

"I haven't." Mai said, eyeing Natsuki's tight ass. In all their years of knowing each other, Natsuki only got hotter as she aged. "Last guy I took to bed...huh…I don't recall. It's been a while. The dating scene is kind of hard to come by at the moment."

"I remember just fine."

"No kidding," Mai couldn't believe it. "Natsuki Kuga, you have been keeping tabs, haven't you."

"It's not like that!"

"Then what _is_ it like, Natsuki?"

"Oh for the love of God. It's not my fault that Nao bitches about your boyfriends. Anyway, last guy was two months ago. University student." The biker remembered perfectly, describing the man in between each and every rep. "Short, blue eyes, blond hair, wore that stuffy cardigan." Her form fitting workout shorts and sports bra was a near lethal combination, but she noticed that violet eyes had stopped checking her out.

Mai was watching her...eye-to-eye. A stare down. "Natsuki…"

"Like I said, I don't really care." Natsuki shot back. "The guy before that was a double date, remember…you tried to hook me up with his twin brother."

"You have either really good memory, or you've got a grudge…I'm half tempted to argue that you have both." Mai said, but Natsuki just cursed, dropping flat on her feet and swigging from a nearby water bottle. "Try not to let it consume you..."

"Don't care. told you that...it's just, Nao hates when you bring guys around, because usually they forget to put the seat down. The one night, she was pretty drunk too, and sat down without looking. Talk about a good way to be pissed off in the middle of the night…she killed my buzz too, with all of her complaining after the fact."

"I remember…"

"Mai…" Natsuki rebuked slowly, emerald eyes a display of only honesty. "I'm not jealous…"

"Didn't say a word."

"No, but you were thinking it."

Mai gave Natsuki a knowing smile. "Anyway, it's a good thing you aren't jealous. I'm thinking about inviting Shizuru over too."

"She's staying the night?" Natsuki asked, trying to sound indifferent.

"More than likely." Mai said, though her voice indicated she wasn't entirely sure. "Anyway, is there anything you want me to pick up while I'm out?"

Natsuki blushed deeply, there was something she wanted. "Um, that stuff in the small can?"

"Inhime." Mai supplied pointedly, and Natsuki only nodded. "So…"

"So?" Natsuki gave Mai a hard glance. It didn't linger. "What?"

"Did you talk to Nao?" Mai pressed with a smirk as she collapsed onto Natsuki's bed. "The cream, you're going to use it with her, aren't you? So, everything's all good between you two."

Natsuki pulled her long hair out of the ponytail she'd had it in. "We didn't talk."

"Natsuki…"

"I don't know what to say!" Natsuki protested, throwing the towel that was around her neck onto the floor. "Nao's…not the kind of person to settle down…"

Mai sighed, she knew that better than anyone. "You two are like gasoline and fire. The two shouldn't be mixed…but, if you're going to, you shouldn't be playing around."

"How do you do it?" Natsuki asked, back against the wall, arms crossed, eyes closed, lips pulled into a frown…everything about her body language pushing Mai away, even though her words dragged the busty woman in. "You hardly ever get attached…"

Mai took a breath. "Everyone throws up a wall eventually. Get hurt enough, it just happens." Mai knew it wasn't an answer, at least, it wasn't something she could justify, and she didn't want to. "That…what you're doing right now…that's a wall too, Natsuki."

"Wonder who caused that." Natsuki growled before biting her tongue. "Sorry…that was uncalled for."

"It's fine." Mai said quietly, even though it really wasn't. "I'll own up to it…but, you still need to talk to Nao."

"Fine...as soon as I figure out what in the hell to say..."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: This chapter is getting broken up into two segments, because the party kind of ate the chapter at about 6k words, so that get's it's own place to be….

 **Stress Me Out  
Week 1: Saturday  
Part 1  
Chapter 7  
**(Mai, Natsuki, and Nao's household.)

It was too early to be dealing with Nao and her antics, but deal with them Natsuki was...and her ire was beginning to simmer.

Those emerald eyes, like a hawk, sent Nao a murderous gleam. "Flick those ashes in my bath one more time…"

"Your bath?" The redhead taunted, lingering her hand over the bathtub again. "That a threat?"

Natsuki was tired, clearly agitated, and at her wits end. All of the threats in the world wouldn't keep Nao at bay. She wasn't intimidated by angry looks, and promises of revenge. Sighing, Natsuki just shook her head. At this rate, it was going to be a long day. "Shut up, take your piss, and then get your ass in here…"

Two sets of verdant eyes, one much brighter than the other faced down, but it was the set of emerald that managed to blink first. Nao grinned, flicking her ashes into the water again without missing a beat.

"You're such a bitch." Natsuki immediately splashed them out, and all over Nao. "Damn you."

"Well fuck you too…" Nao sneered as she drew deeply from her cigarette before flushing it down the toilet. "I don't get what's wrong with you…always got a bug up your ass about something…we should probably fix that before you give somebody rabies."

"You're the one acting like a jackass…" Natsuki growled when a very naked Nao settled herself over Natsuki's reclining form. "I don't get it, why do you have to provoke me all the time…can't you be, I don't know…normal, for once?"

Nao thought about this, her hand already copping a good, hard feel of Natsuki's toned ass. The dark haired woman was beautiful, no question, sexy without trying to be. "Hey, look at it this way, nothing about this is normal." She said, realizing for not the first time that she loved the feel of Natsuki's smooth skin against her own. "Don't think too much, it's not worth it."

"Isn't it though?" Natsuki asked, her words vapor to the air, soundless to Nao's as they fell into a heated kiss.

"Don't know," Nao said as she loomed over Natsuki once more. "Don't care, either."

It wasn't like Tate, he was harder around the edges, rougher in the way he spoke and acted…leaving marks on her ass that tingled into the next day. Natsuki was different, more orality fixated…a biter, a kisser, and her nails were damn near perfect…blunt enough to dig in without drawing blood. Their embrace was tighter, the lines between pleasure and pain blurry, but not unwelcome.

In this synergy, there was nothing outside of the act, no emotion clear enough to break the euphoria… That alone, that was a dangerous thing; where strings became attaches, and Nao had no intention of being someone's little puppet.

Maybe it was the way Natsuki moved beneath her, barely breathed curses, sequestered moans, swallowed down and silenced. Maybe that's what felt so damn good about this whole screwed up mess. A bath, the hallway, the bed, three different places, all of them out of place. Even so, it was just sex, and that's all it would ever have to be.

"Nao…"

"You think too much." Nao explained lazily, another cigarette in her mouth as they rested on Natsuki's bed.

"What are we even doing?" Natsuki asked, but her eyes remained on the ceiling, that was for the best.

"Making each other cream." Nao said without any inflection at all. "You got a problem with it suddenly?"

It was a filthy habit really, so why she took a hit off of Nao's recently lit tobacco product was something entirely lost to her common sense. Even so, the smoke came out of her mouth in the same cloud that she expected it might. "I'm not like Tate."

"You sure as hell aren't." Nao said with a smirk. "He can't keep up three rounds...one of these days, you're upping the antae to a fourth. I'm going to make you raw."

Natsuki sat up, her bare breasts on display as she took another long drag. It tasted like shit, burned her throat and lungs, and she couldn't fathom why a person would even want to smoke at all. Pulling up a knee, resting on it, she just smoked quietly, looking at the sheets, at Nao, at the proximity between them. "That's not what I meant."

Nao, already perching a fresh one to her mouth and lighting it, gave Natsuki a hard look. "Fuck me…fine, you wanna play hard ball?"

Emerald eyes, full of fire, met Nao head on. "Yeah, I do."

Nao sat up then, turning to Natsuki. "Batter up then, what the fuck do you want from me?" - A hard and fast pitch.

"A god damn answer…I could ask you the same thing." – Strike.

"The hell makes you think I have to give you one?" – Another fast one.

"You're in my bed, for one." Natsuki said pointedly. "We can't keep going on like this, for two. Three, I don't want to be jerked around like I'm a plaything. Need any more reasons?" – Another strike.

"No…" A long draw from a cigarette. "You're right. You're the one that keeps bringing it up, you figure it out." – A curveball.

"It's a two way street! Besides, you're the one who keeps starting it first!" – Another strike…

She was out.

Another deep intake of breath, and the ashes fall onto the white sheets like black snow, the butt-end nearly gone as Nao handed Natsuki the ash tray. "Not to get all preachy or anything, but, you do realize the kind of shit coming out of your mouth, right? Listen, I know I'm demented, but you're a pretty fucked up person too."

"Jesus...thanks Nao, makes me feel real good to hear you say that."

"Don't get all pissy about it." Nao said, this time a bit more gently. "Not going to lie to your face about it. Hell, no reason to lie about it at all. We both know why you are the way you are...but I'm not some kind of shrink that can slap you back together in one cohesive piece."

Now it was Natsuki's turn to push back, and she did with a sharp bite in her words. "When did I ever say I wanted that?"

"You didn't." Nao shot back, the air between them tense. "I'm saying it now so you get it. I can't help you. I can't fix your shit, and frankly...I don't want to. I like you the way you are, and, if you need some reassurance know this. I don't just think of you as a cheep piece of ass, it's just, I get what I want out of this...I don't need anything more. "

"Yeah," Natsuki sighed with a shake of her head, "maybe your right."

"Know I'm right." Nao said with a laugh, flipping her hair out of her eyes. "I don't have time for this sentimental bullshit, I have to haul my happy ass into work. Chill out to some music or something...we'll get smashed tonight, forget this conversation ever happened."

"Yeah..." Natsuki agreed weakly. "Yeah, sounds good."

…  
(A little hole in the wall diner)

"You know, Akane, you really shouldn't be lifting that…"

The woman in question took a breath, her left hand reaching around to rest on her lower back. Mai was probably right, but she had her pride as a waitress, and as an able-bodied woman. "It's just a tray of soup, it's not that heavy." Even while very pregnant and showing, she could still manage it one handed. "I've been working here just as long as you, if I didn't have the stamina to keep up, my reputation would be ruined."

"I don't care if it's as light as a feather. It's probably not very easy with another along for the ride." Mai chided, taking the try from her. "Go be a greeter or something, but leave the heavy lifting for us."

"That just makes the day go by slow." Akane protested, sending a puff of hot air upwards towards her bangs. "I need to be doing something."

"Then go sit by the cash register and count the drawer or something..."

"Are you always such a nag?"

"When you look like you're on the verge of popping like a balloon? Yeah, I'll bitch and moan at you all day if it gets you to be careful." Mai supposed she could be a bit pushy. This was one situation that she wasn't going to back down on. "You're a few weeks away, you should be taking it easy."

"You have yourself a bet. I can keep pace with you, Mai Tokiha. Lord knows it, but if it's proof you need, proof you'll get." Akane grabbed another table's tray, winked, and headed out the kitchen door with a renewed sense of vigor.

"Akane!" Mai rolled her eyes, about to chase after the woman before remembering she was still waiting on a parfait to be finished.

"I don't think she's going to listen to reason." Kazuya said with a laugh, elbow deep in dirty dishes. Most of them were heavy pans, he had his work cut out for him. "I think she should start taking her leave now, but what do I know?"

"Clearly about as much as me." Mai took the parfait that was put up on the order line. "She wants a competition, I'll give her a competition."

Kazuya laughed to himself, their little game was nothing new. "Never a dull moment."

It was mostly teenagers on Saturday, they always showed up, a reminder of the simplicities of youth. It was stereotypical, and maybe a little silly, but there was something amusing in watching the people come and go. It was a long standing tradition to sit in the two corner seats at the far end of the diner for lunch. Pointing out all of the regulars, and chatting about days gone by.

"They've been coming here for weeks…" Akane said, nodding towards two young teens. "They can't be older than fifteen. They're always alone."

Mai noticed that they came sometimes. "Just the two of them, never as a big group."

"Never." Akane said then, her lips twitching upwards good-naturedly.

Mai grinned at that. "Two hamburgers, one with cheese, one without. One order of fries, one shake, two straws. Pretty telling, I'd say. Do you think they're an item?"

"I don't know…whenever I ring them up, it seems like they share the bill." Akane reported despondently.

"Okay, and that changes the game, how, exactly?"

"Well, Mai, it's not very romantic."

"You're just old fashioned." Mai laughed then. "You and Kazuya…"

"Hey, it's good to know that you don't have to worry about a thing. There's something amazing about a man insisting to pay for everything, maybe because it's rare." Akane said, coming to her husband's defense. "I offered to pay for Kazuya a few times in the past, but I finally just accepted that he wanted to look after me. It was incredibly sweet, really. Who wouldn't fall for a man like him?"

"And see, I think that's the thing that bothers me."

"But why?"

"That particular way of thinking, Akane, is why you two work so well…why it would never work for a person like me." Mai couldn't help it as she let her spoon toy with the vanilla and strawberry ice cream in her bowl. "You wanted to be taken care of, and he wanted to take care of you. It was a nearly perfect match to begin with. Of course you two would end up together. It wasn't even a question in my mind."

"Doesn't everybody want to be taken care of sometimes?" Akane asked, but she noticed that Mai's eyes had wandered to a far different table. "I look after Kazuya in my own ways too. Especially after we got married, and I was able to keep him from eating chip bags for dinner. I keep his house, warm his bed...I'll raise our children as a full time mother, and I'll make sure he has a warm home to come home to. Is that a bad thing to think that way?"

"Hmm, well from one woman to another, I can say with the wrong guy, that's a dangerous way to think...but, Kazuya is the right kind of guy...so...oh, I don't know, it's complicated." The carrot topped woman replied with an uncertain little shrug. "On the one hand, it's nice sometimes. Knowing that somebody cares enough to want to take me out to dinner, buy me flowers...things like that…"

"I'm sensing a 'but' somewhere…" Akane murmured as she sipped on some whole milk before regarding her roast beef sandwich.

"On the other hand, I think it's conceited to expect to be the only provider of those things." Mai took a bite of her ice-cream, gathering her thoughts, twirling the metal around in circles once more. "If the person I'm with doesn't let me do things for them, I _feel_ like I'm being looked after…I don't want to be some kept woman. I'm all about equal opportunity relationships, and I need that independence."

"What do you see then, when you look at kids like them?" Akane asked, but she was sure that the answer was something fragile.

"See," Mai said a little bit bitterly. "You think I'm going to say Reito, but you'd be dead wrong."

"Well you certainly didn't date Tate for very long." Akane shot back, but her voice was soft. "What was it, one date, or two?"

"Four, actually…I just don't talk about the last two." Mai remembered them well. "It's kind of funny really. We were sixteen, and neither one of us really knew anything about dating back then. Tate's a good guy, but we went together like oil and water…and you're right. I don't see him in that scene over there."

Akane wordlessly rested her chin in her palm, her other hand resting over her belly under the table. Her child was fussing around, it always seemed to do that around this time in the afternoon. She had no idea if it was a boy or a girl, they didn't want to know. It didn't matter either way. She smiled at the thought of that. "The first time Kazuya leaned in to kiss me, I was so nervous I actually filched…we butted foreheads instead, not the best first kiss in the world."

"But typical…"

"True, true...still embarrassing though."

"It's alright, my first kiss got interrupted because my homeroom teacher came out to see where I was. when she caught Reito and I in an amazing lip-lock, she totally freaked out. I had detention for a whole month for that stunt." Mai said with a smirk. "…but that's ancient history. Back to your question, when I look at those two over there, I think of Natsuki."

"...it what?"

"Reminds me of Natsuki...is that somehow strange, Akane?"

"No...no... I guess not." That, Akane had to admit, was mildly surprising. "I just wasn't expecting it, that's all. I kind of want to ask though, why would that boy remind you of Natsuki of all people?"

Mai smiled. "It's the way he twiddles with his potato. He's trying to look at everywhere else, except that girl, and the poor guy, he looks as nervous as hell. Natsuki was the same way. When she was shy, or nervous, she used to fumble around with her french-fry. Sometimes, she'd get so distracted that she'd drench it in mayonnaise and ketchup to the point that even she couldn't eat it."

"We've all come a long way since then, haven't we?" Akane asked slowly.

Mai wasn't really sure. In some ways, she still felt like a teenager occasionally. In other ways, she felt old...too old. "Some more than others, I suppose...if you really want to look at it that way. We've all got a long way to go."


End file.
